Herbal root extract shields liver while boosting a cancer drug's power
Tang W, Shen Q, Du X, Yu J, Sa Z
Medicinal Plants
The astragalus root sold in herbal shops and grown in traditional medicine gardens is showing up in serious pharmacology research as a way to make toxic cancer drugs safer without dulling their effect.
Cantharidin is a powerful anti-cancer compound from traditional medicine, but it can badly damage the liver, which limits its use. Researchers found that a sugar-based extract from astragalus root, a plant long used in traditional herbal medicine, calms down the immune overreaction that causes this liver damage by blocking specific inflammatory signals. Even better, the astragalus extract didn't weaken the drug's cancer-killing power in liver cancer cells; it actually made the drug work better.
Key Findings
Astragalus polysaccharides (35.002 kDa molecular weight) reduced cantharidin-induced liver injury markers and tissue damage in mouse models.
The protective effect worked by blocking S100A8/A9 proteins from infiltrating neutrophils, which shut down the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway and lowered TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels.
In human liver cancer cell lines (HepG2, Huh7), astragalus polysaccharides did not reduce cantharidin's cancer-killing effects and instead showed synergistic anti-tumor activity in HepG2 cells.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Astragalus root extract protected mice from liver damage caused by a cancer drug (cantharidin) without weakening the drug's ability to kill liver cancer cells, and actually boosted its cancer-fighting effect in lab tests.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Astragalus polysaccharides alleviate cantharidin-induced liver injury by inhibiting the S100A8/A9-mediated TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway.
Cantharidin (CTD), a potent anti-tumor compound from traditional medicine, has its clinical application restricted by severe hepatotoxicity. Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), the primary active com...
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Astragalus is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names incl...