Research Status and Molecular Mechanism of the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Antitumor Therapy Combined Strategy Based on Tumor Microenvironment
- PMID: 33552068
- PMCID: PMC7859437
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.609705
Research Status and Molecular Mechanism of the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Antitumor Therapy Combined Strategy Based on Tumor Microenvironment
Abstract
Treatment of malignant tumors encompasses multidisciplinary comprehensive diagnosis and treatment and reasonable combination and arrangement of multidisciplinary treatment, which is not a simple superimposition of multiple treatment methods, but a comprehensive consideration of the characteristics and specific conditions of the patients and the tumor. The mechanism of tumor elimination by restoring the body's immune ability is consistent with the concept of "nourishing positive accumulation and eliminating cancer by itself" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The formation and dynamic changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) involve many different types of cells and multiple signaling pathways. Those changes are similar to the multitarget and bidirectional regulation of immunity by TCM. Discussing the relationship and mutual influence of TCM and antitumor therapy on the TME is a current research hotspot. TCM has been applied in the treatment of more than 70% of cancer patients in China. Data have shown that TCM can significantly enhance the sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, enhance tumor-suppressing effects, and significantly improve cancer-related fatigue, bone marrow suppression, and other adverse reactions. TCM treatments include the application of Chinese medicine monomers, extracts, classic traditional compound prescriptions, listed compound drugs, self-made compound prescriptions, as well as acupuncture and moxibustion. Studies have shown that the TCM functional mechanism related to the positive regulation of cytotoxic T cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and interleukin-12, while negatively regulating of regulatory T cells, tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressive cells, PD-1/PD-L1, and other immune regulatory factors. However, the application of TCM in cancer therapy needs further study and confirmation. This article summarizes the existing research on the molecular mechanism of TCM regulation of the TME and provides a theoretical basis for further screening of the predominant population. Moreover, it predicts the effects of the combination of TCM and antitumor therapy and proposes further developments in clinical practice to optimize the combined strategy.
Keywords: anti-tumor therapy; cancer; immune ability; traditional Chinese medicine; tumor microenvironment.
Copyright © 2021 Zhang, Lou, Wang, Yu and Shen.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Similar articles
-
Progress in the Regulation of Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment by Bioactive Compounds of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Molecules. 2024 May 17;29(10):2374. doi: 10.3390/molecules29102374. Molecules. 2024. PMID: 38792234 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Antitumor effects of immunity-enhancing traditional Chinese medicine.Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Jan;121:109570. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109570. Epub 2019 Nov 9. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020. PMID: 31710893 Review.
-
Targeting Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment for the Prevention of Hepatic Cancer: Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicines in Targeted Delivery.Curr Top Med Chem. 2020;20(30):2789-2800. doi: 10.2174/1568026620666201019111524. Curr Top Med Chem. 2020. PMID: 33076809 Review.
-
Effect and Molecular Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Tumor Targeting Tumor-Associated Macrophages.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2020 Feb 28;14:907-919. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S223646. eCollection 2020. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2020. PMID: 32184560 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Status and Future Directions.Am J Chin Med. 2023;51(7):1627-1651. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X2350074X. Epub 2023 Aug 28. Am J Chin Med. 2023. PMID: 37638827
Cited by
-
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine: harnessing dendritic cells for anti-tumor benefits.Front Immunol. 2024 Sep 19;15:1408474. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1408474. eCollection 2024. Front Immunol. 2024. PMID: 39364399 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Chinese Medicine in Colorectal Cancer Treatment: From Potential Targets and Mechanisms to Clinical Application.Chin J Integr Med. 2024 Sep 27. doi: 10.1007/s11655-024-4115-8. Online ahead of print. Chin J Integr Med. 2024. PMID: 39331211 Review.
-
Impact of Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) reform on cost homogeneity of treatment for patients with malignant tumours.Sci Rep. 2024 Sep 11;14(1):21212. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-71917-y. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 39261579 Free PMC article.
-
Combinational Antitumor Strategies Based on the Active Ingredients of Toad Skin and Toad Venom.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2024 Aug 9;18:3549-3594. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S469832. eCollection 2024. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2024. PMID: 39139676 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Network pharmacology and experimental validation to explore the role and potential mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Decoction in prostate cancer.BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024 Jul 26;24(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s12906-024-04572-5. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024. PMID: 39061044 Free PMC article.
References
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials