Anti-tumor Mechanism of Active Ingredients of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Its Combined Use in Anti-tumor Treatment： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

As a traditional Chinese medicinal material， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma has been extensively used in various formulae. According to modern pharmacological research， it has anti-tumor， anti-inflammatory， anti-viral， liver-protecting， anti-heart failure， immunoregulatory， and anti-fibrosis effects. Caused by the interaction of various factors， cancer features complex pathogenesis. It is a global challenge and one of the main causes of death in China. Statistics show that the morbidity and mortality of malignant tumors have been on the rise， particularly for the young， which threaten the health of human beings. At the moment， radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the main countermeasures. Most clinical anti-tumor drugs demonstrate non-selective toxicity. To be specific， they damage normal cells while killing tumor cells， thus injuring vital organs. In addition， long-term medication will reduce the sensitivity of tumor cells. However， traditional Chinese medicine， which is characterized by treatment based on syndrome differentiation， multiple components， and multiple targets， is superior in the treatment of tumor. Studies have shown that the combination of anti-tumor drugs with Chinese medicine can not only enhance the anti-tumor effect but also alleviate toxicity. Therefore， it has been a research hotspot to develop anti-tumor drugs based on traditional Chinese medicine. In recent years， major headway has been made in the research on active ingreddients of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in anti-liver cancer， anti-breast cancer， anti-lung cancer， and anti-colon cancer and the combination with other drugs for anti-tumor. On this basis， we summarized the mechanisms of active ingredients of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in inducing apoptosis， interfering with cell cycle， inducing autophagy， inhibiting glycolysis， regulating immunity， and modulating miRNA and signaling pathways， as well as the combination with other drugs in anti-tumor efficiency， toxicity reduction， and sensitivity enhancement， hoping to lay a theoretical basis for the further development and clinical application of active ingredients of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.