Mechanism of Chinese Herbal Compounds Capable of Invigorating Qi and Activating Blood in Intervention of Hematogenous Metastasis of Malignant Tumors： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Metastasis is the main cause of poor prognosis of malignant tumors， and intervention with metastasis is the key measure in the treatment of malignant tumors. Hematogenous metastasis， the most common tumor metastasis， falls into the category of "Chuanshe" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with Qi deficiency and blood stasis as the critical pathogenesis. In the fight against malignant tumors， TCM emphasizes the reinforcement of healthy Qi and the elimination of pathogenic factors， exhibiting its action advantages of multiple targets， multiple mechanisms， and multiple levels. Extensive clinical evidence has shown the exact efficacy of Chinese herbal compounds designed for invigorating Qi and activating blood in delaying the progression of tumor disease and prolonging the survival period of patients. In view of the important role of hematogenous metastasis in the prognosis of tumors， more and more studies have explored the effects and mechanisms of Chinese herbal compounds capable of invigorating Qi and activating blood in intervening in hematogenous metastasis. This paper summarized the relevant literature reports in China and abroad on the intervention of Chinese herbal compounds capable of invigorating Qi and activating blood in the hematogenous metastasis of malignant tumors， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Qi-invigorating and blood-activating therapy in the treatment of malignant tumors. It has been found that Chinese herbal compounds formulated for invigorating qi and activating blood are effective in hindering several key steps in hematogenous metastasis through various mechanisms， including regulating the expression of cell adhesion molecules， inhibiting extracellular matrix degradation and angiogenesis， enhancing the killing effect of immunity， and improving blood hypercoagulability and hyperviscosity. Furthermore， the combination of invigorating Qi and activating blood targets the pathogenesis essence （Qi deficiency and blood stasis， characterized by sthenia in origin and asthenia in superficiality） of malignant tumor much better. Some comparative studies have demonstrated that the anti-metastasis effect of Qi-invigorating and blood-activating therapy is significantly stronger than that of the Qi-invigorating or blood-activating therapy alone， and such combination avoids the possible risk of the metastasis of malignant tumors triggered by the use of either of them. This study has provided some reference for the current clinical application of TCM for improving the prognosis of malignant tumors.