Research Progress in Studies on Antitumor Mechanisms of Leech / 中国中医药信息杂志

ABSTRACT

Leech has a broken blood stasis effect and has been used to eliminate a variety of stasis diseases. With the development of modern pharmacology study, in recent years, leeches are widely used in clinical cancer patients, and its anti-tumor effects have been confirmed by numerous clinical and experimental studies. Based on the latest domestic and foreign literature analysis and summary, this article discussed the antitumor mechanisms of leech from the following aspectsinhibition of tumor growth and proliferation, induction of tumor cell apoptosis, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, anti-platelet aggregation and anti-clotting effect, improvement of immunity, and anti-tumor multi-drug resistance. It also pointed out deficiencies and controversy in current studies, with a purpose to provide ideas for further researches and clinical applications.