Apoptosis Induction, a Sharp Edge of Berberine to Exert Anti-Cancer Effects, Focus on Breast, Lung, and Liver Cancer

Abstract

Cancer is the leading cause of death and one of the greatest barriers to increased life expectancy worldwide. Currently, chemotherapy with synthetic drugs remains one of the predominant ways for cancer treatment, which may lead to drug resistance and normal organ damage. Increasing researches have suggested that apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, is a promising way for cancer therapy. Furthermore, natural products are important sources for finding new drugs with high availability, low cost and low toxicity. As a well-known isoquinoline alkaloid, accumulating evidence has revealed that berberine (BBR) exerts potential pro-apoptotic effects on multiple cancers, including breast, lung, liver, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. The related potential signal pathways are AMP-activated protein kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and protein kinase B pathways. In this review, we provide a timely and comprehensive summary of the detailed molecular mechanisms of BBR in treating three types of cancer (breast, lung and liver cancer) by inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, we also discuss the existing challenges and strategies to improve BBR’s bioavailability. Hopefully, this review provides valuable information for the comprehension of BBR in treating three types of cancer and highlight the pro-apoptotic effects of BBR, which would be beneficial for the further development of this natural compound as an effective clinical drug for treating cancers.

Potential Therapeutic Activity of Berberine in Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy: Inhibitory Effects on Tissue Remodeling in Orbital Fibroblasts

“…As a major ingredient of a classical Chinese herb, berberine has recently attracted much more attention for its various therapeutic effects in multiple diseases, including fibrosis-related pathologies, cancer, and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. 28 , 34 , 35 According to recent studies, BBR exerts the above pharmacologic effects by regulating inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, fibrosis, and glucose and lipid metabolism, probably covering a large part of TAO pathogenesis. Additionally, increasingly more studies have demonstrated the safety of BBR at conventional doses, 26 , 36 which makes its clinical transformation easier in TAO management compared with other new drugs.…”

Astragalus and its formulas as a therapeutic option for fibrotic diseases: Pharmacology and mechanisms

“…Derivatizations, modifications, co-administration, and nanotechnology can significantly improve the oral bioavailability of drugs. It is suggested that future studies should use these methods to improve the active components’ bioavailability ( Zhu et al, 2022 ). In additon, Astragaloside IV is proven to ameliorate cardiac fibrosis in mice via modulating gut microbiota and fecal metabolites ( Du X. Q. et al, 2022 ), given that oral administration is the main way for Astragalus , gut microbiota may be involved in fibrotic diseases, how Astragalus interacts with gut microbiota in fibrotic diseases is worthy of further study ( Bajaj, 2019 ; Rayego-Mateos and Valdivielso, 2020 ; Gong et al, 2021 ).…”

Therapeutics for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Approaches with Natural Compounds from Traditional Eastern Medicine

“…Coptis chinensis and Coptis teeta have been medicinally used in Eastern Asian regions for treating symptoms related to “damp-heat” of the body, such as fever, swelling, or dyspepsia. Berberine, a monomeric alkaloid compound included in Coptis, has been studied in previous studies and proven to exert anti-cancer effects by multiple mechanisms [ 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 ]. A recent study showed that berberine could alleviate CIPN symptoms induced by cisplatin treatment [ 74 ] as well.…”