Herbal medicines for the treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced side effects.

Shunsuke Ohnishi,Hiroshi Takeda

doi:10.3389/fphar.2015.00014

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that Japanese herbal medicines, called Kampo, have beneficial effects on cancer chemotherapy-induced side effects. Rikkunshito ameliorates cisplatin-induced anorexia through an antagonistic effect on the 5-HT receptors and by increasing the serum ghrelin levels. Hangeshashinto improves irinotecan-induced diarrhea and chemotherapy-induced mucositis by inhibiting the activity of β-glucuronidase as well as the synthesis of prostaglandin E2. Goshajinkigan prevents oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity, possibly through suppressing functional alterations of the transient receptor potential channels. In this review, we will summarize the currently available literature regarding the clinical efficacy and potential mechanisms of Kampo medicines in the treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced side effects.

Highlights

Cancer is a major public health problem in most developed countries; there have been notable improvements in the survival rate of patients over the past three decades owing to early detection and progress in medical treatment (DeSantis et al, 2014; Siegel et al, 2014)
We describe the current status of several Kampo medicines in the treatment or prevention of chemotherapy-induced side effects as well as their underlying mechanisms
We demonstrated the following: (1) cisplatin decreases serum ghrelin levels; (2) antagonists for the 5-HT2B or 5-HT2C receptors recover the decrease in serum ghrelin levels and food intake caused by cisplatin, respectively; (3) rikkunshito recovers the decrease in serum ghrelin levels and food intake caused by cisplatin; and (4) the flavonoids present in rikkunshito have an antagonistic effect on the 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptors (Takeda et al, 2008)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Cancer is a major public health problem in most developed countries; there have been notable improvements in the survival rate of patients over the past three decades owing to early detection and progress in medical treatment (DeSantis et al, 2014; Siegel et al, 2014). A substantial number of patients with cancer receive chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and benefit from treatment with anticancer drugs (DeSantis et al, 2014). Because of their toxic effects on normal cells/tissues, anticancer drugs cause many side effects with a variety of symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea, oral mucositis, and numbness. These side effects often compromise patients’ quality of life (QOL) and sometimes make it difficult to continue chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (Akin et al, 2010). Food intake decreased to 25% of baseline by 7 days after administration of www.frontiersin.org

Ohnishi and Takeda

Findings

CONCLUSION