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REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Molecular Targets and Therapeutics
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1488289

New options for targeting TRPV1 receptors for cancer treatment: Odorous Chinese herbal medicine

Provisionally accepted
Minghui Zhang Minghui Zhang 1,2Min Liu Min Liu 1,2*Zongao Wang Zongao Wang 1,2Shaojun Liu Shaojun Liu 1,2Yuxuan Li Yuxuan Li 1,2Yanting Gong Yanting Gong 1,2
  • 1 Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, China

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

    Vanilloid1 (TRPV1), a subfamily of transient receptor channels, is one of the non-selective calcium channels, which is a bridge between cellular response and extracellular environmental networks, and is involved in a variety of pathophysiological processes. It is also involved in the process of cancer occurence and progression, and researchers are revealing its role in cancer. In this paper, we review the expression and significance of TRPV1 receptor in various cancer cell types, the role of TRPV1 in the apoptosis-proliferation balance, cancer cell invasion and metastasis, and tumor micro-environment, with emphasis on the mechanisms by which TRPV1 receptor mediates inflammatory response, immune system, and thus regulates cancer. We discussed the latest directions and current challenges of TRPV1 receptor-targeting therapy for cancer, and summarized the odorous traditional herbs that modulate TRPV1 receptors, with a view to developing anti-tumor drugs targeting TRPV1 receptors in the future.

    Keywords: TRPV1, Cancer, Tumor micro-environment, odorous traditional herbal medicines, Apoptosis

    Received: 29 Aug 2024; Accepted: 23 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Liu, Wang, Liu, Li and Gong. 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: Min Liu, Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, 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.