A Chinese classical prescription Guizhi-Fuling Wan in treatment of ovarian cancer: An overview

Highlights

• Guizhi-Fuling Wan as a classical TCM formula has manifested certain efficacy in treating ovarian cancer.

• Guizhi-Fuling Wan plays an anti-ovarian cancer role by inducing cell apoptosis, inhibiting cell proliferation and enhancing the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy.

• The effect of Guizhi-Fuling Wan in the treatment of ovarian cancer is multi-component and multi-target.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is one of the three most common female reproductive system cancers and has been a hot topic in the field of gynecology and oncology. Currently, surgery with chemotherapy is the common strategy in treatment of ovarian cancer, while it is always accompanied by drug resistance and some adverse effects. Over the past few years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been embraced by a large population of clinicians and researchers due to its high efficiency, low toxicity and minor side effects. Guizhi-Fuling Wan as a classical TCM formula has manifested certain efficacy in treating ovarian cancer. This article intends to further study the role and mechanism of Guizhi-Fuling Wan in treatment of ovarian cancer and explore the effective chemical components contained in the herbs of the formula. To this end, we reviewed the previous clinical studies and experiments to analyze the molecular mechanisms, pharmacological effects, active chemical components and their targets of action in treatment of ovarian cancer, thereby providing a theoretic basis for future studies and practices.