The interactions between gut microbiota and Chinese herbal medicine in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), with a range of pharmacological and molecular targets, has unique advantages in the comprehensive treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, its clinical application remains limited owing to undetermined anti-CRC mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that gut microbes mediate the intestinal barrier, metabolism, and immunity, which, in turn, affect CRC initiation, progression, and CHM therapy. Here, we summarize the mechanisms and clinical applications of the gut microbiota involved in CRC, together with the latest studies of CHM in CRC therapy and its anti-tumor molecular basis from the gut microbiota perspective. This review highlights the gut microbiota as a “bridge” to clarify the scientific of CHM in treating CRC. More efforts should be focused on how the gut microbiome interacts with CHM to elucidate the mechanism of action of CHM and provide a more applicable basis for CHM- and microbiota-related therapies for the treatment of CRC.

Keywords

Chinese herbal medicine / Colorectal cancer / Gut microbiota / Mucosal immunity / Tumor microenvironment

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

This work were supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82104955, 82205223), the Shanghai Rising-Star Program (22QA1408700, 21YF1444500), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M712154).

Author contributions

Xinxin Hou, Haidong Guo, and Ling Zhao conceived and designed the study. Xinxin Hou and Xinyi Li wrote the paper. Wanqing Chen and Weikang Zhu screened the literature and gave feedback on drafts of the paper. Haidong Guo and Ling Zhao reviewed the manuscript. All authors approved the final version.

Ethical approval of studies and informed consent

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

None.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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