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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1469392
This article is part of the Research Topic Natural Products in Medicine: Insights from History and Ethnopharmacology View all 11 articles

Recent Advances in the Anti-tumor Activities of Saponins through Cholesterol Regulation

Provisionally accepted
Yue Ding Yue Ding *Min Jiang Min Jiang Chao Hong Chao Hong Wenkui Zou Wenkui Zou Zheng Ye Zheng Ye Lu Lu Lu Lu Yun Liu Yun Liu Tong Zhang Tong Zhang
  • Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abnormal cholesterol metabolism has become a popular therapeutic target in cancer therapy. In recent years there has been a surge in interest in the anti-tumor activities of saponins, particularly their ability to disrupt cholesterol homeostasis in tumor cells.Cholesterol regulation by saponins is a complex process that involves multiple mechanisms. However, there are now a notable dearth of comprehensive reviews addressing their anti-tumor effects through cholesterol modulation. This review will explore the intricate mechanisms by which saponins regulate cholesterol, including modulation of synthesis, metabolism, and uptake, as well as complex formation with cholesterol. It will also outline how saponins exert their anti-cancer activities through cholesterol regulation, enhancing cytotoxicity, inhibiting tumor cell metastasis, reversing drug resistance, inducing immunotoxin macromolecule escape, and ferroptosis. This comprehensive analysis offers insights into the potential for the use of saponins anti-tumor therapies and their combinations with other drugs, advancing the understanding of their effects on cancer cells.

    Keywords: Saponins, anti-tumor, Cell Membrane, Cholesterol, Metabolism

    Received: 23 Jul 2024; Accepted: 12 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ding, Jiang, Hong, Zou, Ye, Lu, Liu and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yue Ding, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.