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Use of cucurbitacins for lung cancer research and therapy

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Abstract

As the main substance in some traditional Chinese medicines, cucurbitacins have been used to treat hepatitis for decades in China. Currently, the use of cucurbitacins against cancer and other diseases has achieved towering popularity among researchers worldwide, as detailed in this review with summarized tables. Numerous studies have reported the potential tumor-killing activities of cucurbitacins in multiple aspects of human malignancies. Continuous research on its anticancer activity mechanisms also brings a glimmer of light to the treatment of patients with lung cancer. In line with the promising roles of cucurbitacins against cancer, through various molecular signaling pathways, it is justifiable to propose the use of cucurbitacins as a potential mainline chemotherapy before the onset and after the diagnosis of lung cancers. Here, this article mainly summarized the findings about the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of cucurbitacins on lung cancer pathogenesis and treatment. In addition, we also discussed the safety and efficacy of their application for further research and even clinical practice.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82002239, 81803035, 81703036), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (2020JJ5934, 2019JJ50932).

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  1. Min Liu and Qijia Yan provided equal contribution to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China

    Min Liu, Shuangshuang Zeng, Yuanliang Yan & Zhicheng Gong

  2. Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China

    Qijia Yan, Bi Peng, Yuan Cai & Zhijie Xu

  3. National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China

    Zhicheng Gong

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ML, QY, SZ, ZX, ZG and YY were the main authors of the manuscript; ML and ZX contributed to the design and format of figures and tables; BP, YC, and YY revised the manuscript. All authors were responsible for the manuscript writing and approved the final manuscript.

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Liu, M., Yan, Q., Peng, B. et al. Use of cucurbitacins for lung cancer research and therapy. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 88, 1–14 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-021-04265-7

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