3.3.3 Impact on the Liver Cancer Cell Cycle

3.3.3 Impact on the Liver Cancer Cell Cycle

Literature studies indicate that qi-tonifying herbs significantly increase the cyclic adenosine monophosphate content in the liver cancer cell line SMMC-7721, while yin-nourishing herbs inhibit the proliferation of liver cancer cells, both of which can induce cellular differentiation. Bai Jinwen et al.'s experimental study on the effects of piperine on a rat model of liver cancer showed that piperine effectively inhibits DNA synthesis, preventing liver cancer cells from progressing from the G1 phase to the S phase and thus suppressing cell division. Jian Zhiyong observed that formulations primarily composed of blood-activating, hardening-dispersing, and mass-dissolving herbs such as seaweed and curcuma zedoary inhibit the proliferation of H22 liver cancer cells by blocking the transition from the S phase to the M phase, whereas formulations mainly consisting of heat-clearing herbs like Scutellaria barbata and Agrimonia pilosa block the transition from the G0/G1 phase to the S phase, thereby hindering DNA synthesis and replication.