However, the systematic effect of shikonin in cancer therapy remains poorly understood.
Considering the excellent antitumor activity of shikonin, it is imperative to discover its molecular pharmacological mechanisms. A diversity of antitumor mechanisms involved in shikonin has been reported, including inhibiting cell proliferation ( Huang and Hu, 2018), inducing apoptosis ( Zhai et al., 2017), and activating necroptosis ( Shahsavari et al., 2018). et Zucc, Boraginaceae), has been known as an antitumor natural product varying with tumor types during the past decades ( Tan et al., 2011). Shikonin (SHK), a naphthoquinone pigment isolated from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (Sieb. Hence, the development of natural products has become a priority for the therapy of colorectal cancer. However, their side effects are considerable, and the poor prognosis is valued to be addressed ( Schlick et al., 2019). Currently, surgical resection combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy is still served as the predominant treatment for early- and mid-stage patients with localized colon cancer. In particular, the disturbance of purine metabolism may account for the major mechanism resulting from shikonin antitumor activity.Ĭolorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy occurring in the digestive system, and it is reported as the fourth major cause for cancer-related mortality in the world ( Gansler et al., 2010). Moreover, metabolic pathways, including the purine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism, were perturbed and subsequently led to cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. The results demonstrated that shikonin had a remarkable antitumor potency both in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptomics and metabolomics were further integrated to provide a systematic perspective of the shikonin-induced antitumor mechanism. In the present study, we evaluated the antitumor activity of shikonin in human colon cancer cells and the therapeutic effect on a xenograft mouse model. However, the systematic effect of shikonin in colon cancer remains poorly understood.
Shikonin, a naphthoquinone compound extracted from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, is extensively reported to exert antitumor activity against various types of cancer.
Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy occurring in the digestive system, which is the third common cause of cancer mortality in developed countries.