Research progress on antitumor properties of Marsdenia tenacissima

Tongguanteng (Marsdenia tenacissima), which is mainly distributed in the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces of China, was first recorded in Diannanbencao by Lan Mao of the Ming dynasty of China. According to recent pharmacological studies, the chemical composition of Tongguanteng (Marsdenia tenacissima) is complex and contains C21 steroidal saponins, polysaccharides, alkaloids, and other molecules, which show anticancer effects on various tumor cell lines. It inhibits tumor cell proliferation and growth mainly by increasing the expression of apoptosisand cell cyclerelated proteins to promote apoptosis and arrest tumor cells in the G2/M or S phase. Downregulation of the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor2/A and matrix metalloprotease2/9 suppresses the formation of the tumor microvasculature, leading to tumor malnutrition, increased expression of interleukin2, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, and decreased interleukin10 and malondialdehyde expression, thereby enhancing immunity and antioxidation in the body. Additionally, inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor, hepatocyte growth factor receptor, and tyrosineprotein kinase receptor activation enhances the antitumor efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptortyrosine kinase inhibitors as well as inhibits Pglycoprotein and cytochrome P450 to increase the concentration of antitumor drugs in tumor cells.