Latest Technology: Multifaceted Mechanisms of Paeoniflorin in the Treatment of Tumors

Malignant tumors have long affected human health and have become the main cause of death
.
According to statistics, there will be about 19.
3 million new cancer cases and 10 million deaths worldwide in 2020
.
It is worth noting that the incidence of cancer is increasing year by year and is expected to reach 28.
4 million by 2040, which greatly challenges human health
.
Given the circumstances, the therapeutic options available for the treatment of malignancies are of great interest
.
Therefore, finding suitable medical solutions for the treatment of malignant tumors has become the focus of many researchers and clinicians
.

Paeoniflorin (PF), a natural pharmaceutical active ingredient, is highly valued due to its low toxicity, high efficacy, and safety, as well as its association with various pharmacological effects against tumor, inflammation, depression, and oxidative stress
.
It has been reported that PF has antitumor effects in various common malignant tumors such as stomach, lung, liver, breast and bladder
.
However, a systematic literature review on the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of PF is currently lacking
.
It was found that PF mainly exerts its anti-tumor effect by inhibiting tumor cell apoptosis, promoting tumor cell proliferation, inhibiting tumor cell metastasis and invasion, and enhancing chemoradiotherapy sensitivity
.

The chemical structural formula of paeoniflorin:

Several studies have shown that paeoniflorin has excellent antitumor effects on a variety of tumors, including liver, gastric, breast, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, and bladder cancers
.
Can induce apoptosis, inhibit proliferation, invasion and metastasis through different molecular mechanisms, mainly involved in nuclear transcription factor kappα (NF-κB), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family, MicroRNA, neural precursor cell expression and development Down-regulated protein 4 (NEDD4) signaling pathway, activator of transcription (STAT3), p21, p53/14-3-3 signaling pathway, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/Smads signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase ( MAPK) signaling pathway and Notch-1
.
This study reviewed the research progress of paeoniflorin's anti-tumor effect and mechanism, in order to provide new ideas and theoretical basis for the further development and clinical application of paeoniflorin
.

The mechanism by which PF induces tumor cell apoptosis:

The mechanism by which PF enhances the chemosensitivity of tumor cells:

PF has attracted much attention due to its diverse pharmacological effects
.
Multiple studies have demonstrated that its antitumor effects are based on different molecular mechanisms involving apoptosis, proliferation, metastasis and invasion, and chemosensitivity
.
Despite extensive research, the antitumor mechanism of PF remains to be fully understood
.
The existing technologies of network pharmacology and molecular docking can explore potential mechanisms, but at the same time experimental verification is required to provide more convincing references for clinicians
.
At present, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are still the main treatment methods for clinical malignant tumors
.
However, the development of drug resistance is not conducive to the prognosis of patients, and is accompanied by various adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, decreased immune function, and bone marrow suppression
.
PF is a natural product with antitumor activity, which has been extensively and deeply studied due to its advantages of high efficiency and small side effects
.
In addition, PF, as a water-soluble ingredient, can be taken by patients well in clinical practice, making up for the deficiency of other water-insoluble anti-tumor active ingredients
.
Nonetheless, PF still has some limitations in its application
.
For example, it is chemically unstable and must be stored at low temperatures, avoiding alkaline environments
.
All these limitations can be avoided in clinical practice
.
In conclusion, PF should be further studied for better clinical use in the future
.

Original text: Wang XZ, Xia L, Zhang XY, Chen Q, Li X, Mou Y, Wang T, Zhang YN.
The multifaceted mechanisms of Paeoniflorin in the treatment of tumors: State-of-the-Art.
Biomed Pharmacother.
2022 May ;149:112800.
doi: 10.
1016/j.
biopha.
2022.
112800.
Epub 2022 Mar 9.
PMID: 35279012.