Berberine: Its effects on stomach and liver cancer

Berberine, naturally present in some plants, counteracts inflammatory processes. A study review addresses if it has an effect on stomach and liver cancer.

Key takeaways about berberine:

Berberine is a plant substance traditionally used in Chinese medicine.
It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, weight-regulating, anti-diabetic and antimicrobial properties.
Some studies have been conducted to investigate its effectiveness on different types of cancer.
Berberine appears to reduce gastric cancer growth through different signalling pathways, and make cancer cells more sensitive to various chemotherapeutic agents.
In studies, the plant substance showed a preventive effect on the development of liver cancer by inhibiting the disease precursors.

Berberine is a component of traditional Chinese medicine

Berberine is found in some medicinal plants and has been used in Asian medicine for a very long time. The plant substance is the focus of attention of many studies investigating its effects. It is known that berberine has various bioactive effects, for example anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic or weight-lowering.

Many scientists are also interested in the effect of the healing substance on various types of cancer. A recently published review has summarised the current state of research on this topic.

Positive effects on gastric cancer in the mouse model

Several preclinical studies have shown that berberine acts on some signalling pathways of gastric cancer cells, inhibiting the tumour and its growth:

It blocks the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells and stops the cell cycle in the G1 phase.
One study showed both in vitro and in vivo that the substance inhibits cancer cell proliferation and IL-8 release by deactivating the MAPK signalling pathway.
In another study, berberine was shown to inhibit the phosphorylation of eGFR, thereby stopping the STAT3 signalling cascade, leading to reduced apoptosis and expression of cell cycle proteins such as Bcl-xL and cyclin-D1.

One possible theory is that berberine promotes autophagy of cancer cells. Scientists were able to show that the substance led to autophagy of BGC-823 cells via inhibition of the mTOR, AKT and MAPK signalling pathways. In addition, berberine seems to influence the expression of circRNA and thus inhibit tumour growth.

Sensitisation of tumour cells to chemotherapy

Berberine, in addition to its direct effect on the signalling cascades associated with gastric cancer, also appears to lead to increased sensitisation of tumour cells to certain chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, the efficacy of cisplatin, erlotinib, cetuximab and evodiamine could be improved and supported.

Also positive effects on liver cancer

In addition to the significance of berberine for stomach cancer, the active substance has also been investigated - in a preclinical setting - in relation to liver carcinoma. In particular, cell proliferation seems to be the target of the plant substance:

It inhibits SLC1A5 in vitro, which leads to an inhibition of cell proliferation of Hep3B and BEL-7404 cells.
At higher concentrations, the compound could lead to the proliferation of HepG2 cells and stop the cell cycle in the G1 phase.
In one study, berberine was shown to raise intracellular ROS (reactive oxygen species) levels, reduce mitochondrial membrane tension, and then cause apoptosis of tumour cells.
The combination of berberine and sorafenide inhibited the cell proliferation of the cancer cells and led to the demise of the tumour cells.

Berberine and liver cancer prevention

In relation to liver cancer, berberine could also have a preventive effect by acting on the disease precursors, such as alcoholic or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and inhibiting the progression of the diseases.

This is done by modulating the microbiome in the digestive tract. For example, increased colonisation density of Clostridiales, Lactobacillaceae and Bacteriodale led to an increase in intestinal farnesoid X receptor and FGF15. This in turn resulted in an improvement in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Due to a better colonisation density of Akkermansia muciniphila, a liver-protective effect in alcoholic fatty liver could also be demonstrated.

Conclusion for medical practice

Berberine seems to have the potential to positively influence the course of stomach and liver cancer. Other types of cancer also show good reactions to the healing substance. Currently, research is still in the preclinical stage. However, berberine intake as a food supplement may be helpful for some patients. Studies report an overall good tolerability.

Source

Xiong RG, Huang SY, Wu SX, Zhou DD, Yang ZJ, Saimaiti A, Zhao CN, Shang A, Zhang YJ, Gan RY, Li HB. Anticancer Effects and Mechanisms of Berberine from Medicinal Herbs: An Update Review. Molecules. 2022 Jul 15;27(14):4523. doi: 10.3390/molecules27144523. PMID: 35889396; PMCID: PMC9316001.