Lung cancer is the most common and fatal cancer. In 2020, there were more than 2 million new lung cancer cases and 1.79 million deaths worldwide. The latest research pointed out that berberine, an active ingredient extracted from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Coptis chinensis, has anti-cancer effects.
The research team converted them into berberine-phytantriol-loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles (BP-LCN), and it is hoped to become a treatment for lung cancer.
Lung cancer can be divided into different types, and the most common one is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounting for 85 percent of all lung cancer cases, and it is also the type of lung cancer in this study.
Although the pathogenesis of lung cancer is not fully understood, research data mentioned that there is an association between smoking and NSCLC. Carcinogens such as tar and formaldehyde from tobacco can cause genetic damage and make normal cells susceptible to mutation.
In addition, smoke from tobacco can affect the work of the villi in the lungs, reducing their ability to remove foreign bodies, and it can also damage the mucous membranes and induce inflammation.
In the long term, the lungs will tire of repairing the damage caused by tobacco, making the cells more prone to mutation and leading to lung cancer.
The study pointed out that early-stage lung cancer can be treated by surgery, but lung cancer that has metastasized often needs to be treated by chemotherapy, most of them are highly cytotoxic and also affect normal cells.
Therefore, the finding of a new potential therapeutic drug is undoubtedly a breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer.
Coptis chinensis is a medicinal plant with a bitter taste. It was used to treat diarrhea in the past, and its constituent berberine has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. This study further explored its medicinal value and pointed out that berberine could induce cell cycle arrest and autophagy, promote cell apoptosis, and inhibit the formation of tumor blood vessels, thereby achieving cancer-fighting effects.
The team also made breakthroughs in the absorption and transportation of drugs. Berberine has poor fat solubility and it is difficult to be absorbed. The team thus developed a new drug delivery system called liquid crystal nanoparticles. This drug delivery system, can help drug delivery and avoid side effects caused by large doses.
In addition, the team created BP-LCNs medicine with improved stability and solubility by infiltrating berberine into phytantriol. The results of two experiments on human beings’ lung epithelial cancer cells showed that the addition of BP-LCNs medicine could reduce the proliferation rate of cancer cells by 14 percent and 29.7 percent respectively in these experiments.
In addition, the experimental team believed that berberine has an inhibitory effect on other types of cancer, such as colon cancer and ovarian cancer. Although berberine still needs further experiments to confirm its effectiveness, its potential efficacy will undoubtedly take new directions for the treatment of cancer.
