[Research progress on mechanism of action and clinical applications of quercetin against hepatocellular carcinoma].

Authors

Jin-Xiao Liang, Xing Yang, Rui Li, Rui-Xia Zhao, Hong-Yan Cui, Xue-Han Wang, Rui Ren, Zhong-Qi Jiang, Ming-Yi Shao

Published in

Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica. Volume 51. Issue 14. Pages 3947-3954.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma, hereinafter referred to as liver cancer, is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive system in China, with persistently high incidence and mortality rates. Currently, clinical management of liver cancer faces significant challenges, including elevated postoperative recurrence rates and drug resistance in advanced-stage patients, underscoring an urgent demand for the development of novel preventive and therapeutic strategies and agents. TCM with its distinct advantages of multi-efficacy, multi-targeted action, and multi-mechanism effect, has long been employed in anti-hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. As the limitations of western medicine in liver cancer treatment become increasingly prominent, active components of TCM monomers and their compound formulas have garnered extensive attention. A growing body of research indicates that flavonoids from TCM possess notable anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects. Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, is widely distributed in various TCM herbs, including Artemisiae Scopariae Herba, Ploygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radlx, Moutan Cortex, Plantaginis Semen, Spreading Hedyotis Herba, Eucommiae Folium, Ginkgo Folium, and Mori Folium. Quercetin exhibits unique advantages and promising application prospects due to its diverse pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and anti-tumor effects. Focusing on the key molecular networks and the tumor microenvironment involved in hepatocarcinogenesis and progression, this review comprehensively synthesized the mechanisms underlying the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects of quercetin, encompassing its regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and apoptosis, modulation of signaling pathways, inhibition of cell migration and invasion, as well as its regulatory roles in tumor metabolism, the microenvironment, and drug resistance. Additionally, the progress in the clinical application of quercetin was systematically summarized. This review aims to provide a theoretical foundation for the utilization of quercetin in the clinical treatment of liver cancer, facilitate the optimization of its therapeutic regimens, and offer a relevant basis for future in-depth research and clinical translation.

PMID:
42543325
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Aug 2026.

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