Traditional Chinese medicine for prevention and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: A focus on epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant cancers worldwide. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which endows epithelial cells with mesenchymal properties, plays an important role in the early stages of metastasis. Conventional cancer therapies have promising effects, but issues remain, such as high rates of metastasis and drug resistance. Thus, exploring and evaluating new therapies is an urgent need. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been acknowledged for their multi-target and coordinated intervention effects against HCC. Accumulating evidence indicates that TCM can inhibit the malignancy of cells and the progression of EMT in HCC. However, studies on the effects of TCM on EMT in HCC are scarce. In this review, we summarized recent developments in anti-EMT TCMs and formulae, focusing on their underlying pharmacological mechanisms, to provide a foundation for further research on the exact mechanisms through which TCM affects EMT in HCC. (C) 2021 Shanghai Yueyang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a prevalent malignant cancer globally, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition plays a crucial role in early metastasis. Traditional Chinese medicines have been recognized for their inhibitory effects on HCC, but research on their impact on EMT in HCC is limited and requires further investigation.