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Review
. 2022 Sep 2:12:993775.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.993775. eCollection 2022.

Berberine as a potential agent for breast cancer therapy

Xiao-Dan Zhong  1   2   3 , Li-Juan Chen  2   3 , Xin-Yang Xu  2   3 , Yan-Jun Liu  1   2   3 , Fan Tao  2   3 , Ming-Hui Zhu  2   3 , Chang-Yun Li  2   3 , Dan Zhao  1   2   3 , Guan-Jun Yang  1   2   3 , Jiong Chen  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Berberine as a potential agent for breast cancer therapy

Xiao-Dan Zhong et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignancy that mainly occurred in women and it has become the most diagnosed cancer annually since 2020. Berberine (BBR), an alkaloid extracted from the Berberidacea family, has been found with broad pharmacological bioactivities including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, antidepressant, and anticancer effects. Mounting evidence shows that BBR is a safe and effective agent with good anticancer activity against BC. However, its detailed underlying mechanism in BC treatment remains unclear. Here, we will provide the evidence for BBR in BC therapy and summarize its potential mechanisms. This review briefly introduces the source, metabolism, and biological function of BBR and emphasizes the therapeutic effects of BBR against BC via directly interacting with effector proteins, transcriptional regulatory elements, miRNA, and several BBR-mediated signaling pathways. Moreover, the novel BBR-based therapeutic strategies against BC improve biocompatibility and water solubility, and the efficacies of BBR are also briefly discussed. Finally, the status of BBR in BC treatment and future research directions is also prospected.

Keywords: Breast cancer; apoptosis; autophagic; berberine; cell cycle arrest.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the effect of BBR on signaling pathways of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in BC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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