Frontiers in Pharmacology (Oct 2022)

The pathogenesis of liver cancer and the therapeutic potential of bioactive substances

  • Song Gao,
  • Song Gao,
  • Xingyue Jiang,
  • Liang Wang,
  • Shanshan Jiang,
  • Hanyuan Luo,
  • Yan Chen,
  • Yan Chen,
  • Yan Chen,
  • Cheng Peng,
  • Cheng Peng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.1029601
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world and has become an urgent problem for global public health. Bioactive substances are widely used for the treatment of liver cancer due to their widespread availability and reduced side effects. This review summarizes the main pathogenic factors involved in the development of liver cancer, including metabolic fatty liver disease, viral infection, and alcoholic cirrhosis, and focuses on the mechanism of action of bioactive components such as polysaccharides, alkaloids, phenols, peptides, and active bacteria/fungi. In addition, we also summarize transformation methods, combined therapy and modification of bioactive substances to improve the treatment efficiency against liver cancer, highlighting new ideas in this field.

Keywords