The therapeutic effects of berberine for gastrointestinal cancers.

Amirhossein Davoodvandi, Sahand Sadeghi, Seyed Mohammad Amin Alavi, Seyedeh Shaghayegh Alavi, Ameneh Jafari, Haroon Khan, Michael Aschner, Hamed Mirzaei, Mehran Sharifi, Zatollah Asemi

Journal: Asia-Pacific journal of clinical oncology 2024;20(2):152-167

PMID: 36915942

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Abstract

Cancer is one of the most serious human health issues. Drug therapy is the major common way to treat cancer. There is a growing interest in using natural compounds to overcome drug resistance, adverse reactions, and target specificity of certain types of drugs that may affect several targets with fewer side effects and be beneficial against various types of cancer. In this regard, the use of herbal medicines alone or in combination with the main anticancer drugs is commonly available. Berberine (BBR), a nature-driven phytochemical component, is a well-known nutraceutical due to its wide variety of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and hypolipidemic. In addition, BBR exerts anticancer activities. In present article, we summarized the information available on the therapeutic effects of BBR and its mechanisms on five types of the most prevalent gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, hepatocarcinoma, and pancreatic cancers.

Address: Student Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.; Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.; Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.; Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.; Departmemt of Food Science, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.; ATMP Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.; Proteomics Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.; Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan.; Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Cancer Prevention Research Center, Seyyed Al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

DOI: 10.1111/ajco.13941

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Berberine, Gastrointestinal Neoplasms, Antineoplastic Agents