Abstract
Colitis-associated cancer (CAC) is known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-developed colorectal cancer, the pathogenesis of which involves the occurrence of apoptosis. Western drugs clinically applied to CAC are often single-targeted and exert many adverse reactions after long-term administration, so it is urgent to develop new drugs for the treatment of CAC. Herbal medicines commonly have multiple components with multiple targets, and most of them are low-toxicity. Some herbal medicines have been reported to ameliorate CAC through inducing apoptosis, but there is still a lack of systematic review. In this work, we reviewed articles published in Sci Finder, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, CNKI, and other databases in recent years by setting the keywords as apoptosis in combination with colitis-associated cancer. We summarized the herbal medicine extracts or their compounds that can prevent CAC by modulating apoptosis and analyzed the mechanism of action. The results show the following. (1) Herbal medicines regulate both the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and death receptor apoptosis pathway. (2) Herbal medicines modulate the above two apoptotic pathways by affecting signal transductions of IL-6/STAT3, MAPK/NF-κ B, Oxidative stress, Non-canonical TGF-β1, WNT/β-catenin, and Cell cycle, thereby ameliorating CAC. We conclude that following. (1) Studies on the role of herbal medicine in regulating apoptosis through the Ras/Raf/ERK, WNT/β-catenin, and Cell cycle pathways have not yet been carried out in sufficient depth. (2) The active constituents of reported anti-CAC herbal medicine mainly include polyphenols, terpenoids, and saccharide. Also, we identified other herbal medicines with the constituents mentioned above as their main components, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical use of herbal medicine in the treatment of CAC. (3) New dosage forms can be utilized to elevate the targeting and reduce the toxicity of herbal medicine.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of malignancy incidence and death
Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two defined inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) subtypes, and IBD-preceded CRC is known as colitisassociated cancer (CAC)
Since apoptosis inhibition is a crucial factor in CAC pathogenesis, inducing apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells can be regarded as an effective way to treat CAC
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of malignancy incidence and death. Though the overall CRC rates have been reducing over recent years, evidence shows that there is a trend of increasing incidence among young people. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two defined IBD subtypes, and IBD-preceded CRC is known as colitisassociated cancer (CAC). The chronic inflammation-cancer relationship was first mentioned about one and a half centuries ago and had been confirmed by numerous clinical trials. Multiple processes like tumor initiation and metastasis are involved in colitis-associated neoplasia. There are few reports on the treatment of CAC by herbal medicines through inducing apoptosis-associated signaling transductions, and there is a lack of relevant systematic review. We collect the details of the ameliorative effects of ethnic drugs on CAC, aiming to provide a reference for the future clinical use of ethnic dugs in CAC treatment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
