Synergistic Effect and Molecular Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Regulating Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Cells

Biomed Res Int. 2016:2016:1490738. doi: 10.1155/2016/1490738. Epub 2016 Mar 2.

Abstract

The interaction of tumor cells with the microenvironment is like a relationship between the "seeds" and "soil," which is a hotspot in recent cancer research. Targeting at tumor microenvironment as well as tumor cells has become a new strategy for cancer treatment. Conventional cancer treatments mostly focused on single targets or single mechanism (the seeds or part of the soil); few researches intervened in the whole tumor microenvironment and achieved ideal therapeutic effect as expected. Traditional Chinese medicine displays a broad range of biological effects, and increasing evidence has shown that it may relate with synergistic effect on regulating tumor microenvironment and cancer cells. Based on literature review and our previous studies, we summarize the synergistic effect and the molecular mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine on regulating tumor microenvironment and cancer cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional*
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Tumor Microenvironment / drug effects*
  • Tumor Microenvironment / genetics

Substances

  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal