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Li J, Qin C, Wu Y, Cheng S, Wang Y, Chen H, Chen F, Chen B, Li J. Targeting LRRC41 as a potential therapeutic approach for hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1300294. [PMID: 38192337 PMCID: PMC10773795 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1300294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, characterized by high mortality rate. In clinical practice, several makers of liver cancer, such as VEGFR1, FGFR1 and PDGFRα, were identified and their potentials as a therapeutic target were explored. However, the unsatisfied treatment results emphasized the needs of new therapeutic targets. Methods: 112 HCC patients samples were obtained to evaluate the expression of LRRC41, SOX9, CD44, and EPCAM in HCC, combined with prognosis analysis. A DEN-induced HCC rat model was constructed to verify the expression of LRRC41 and SOX9 in HCC and lung metastasis tissues. Immune score evaluation was analysized by bioinformatics methods. Network pharmacology was performed to explored the potential FDA-approved drugs targeting LRRC41. Results: Through analysis of the Timer database and tissue micro-array, we confirmed that LRRC41 was over-expressed in HCC and exhibited a significant positive correlation with recurrence and metastasis. Immunohistochemistry staining of human HCC tissue samples revealed significant upregulation of LRRC41, SOX9, CD44, and EPCAM, with LRRC41 showing a positive correlation with SOX9, CD44, and EPCAM expression. UALCAN database analysis indicated that LRRC41 and SOX9 contribute to poor prognosis whereas CD44 and EPCAM did not demonstrate the same significance. Furthermore, analysis of a DEN-induced HCC rat model confirmed the significantly elevated expression of LRRC41 and SOX9 in HCC and lung metastasis tissues. Drug sensitivity analysis and molecular docking targeting LRRC41 identified several FDA-approved drugs, which may have potential antitumor effects on HCC by targeting LRRC41. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the role of LRRC41 overexpression in promoting HCC progression and its association with a poor prognosis. Drug sensitivity analysis and molecular docking shows several FDA-approved drugs may be potential therapeutic targets for HCC. Targeting LRRC41 may hold promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- The Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenjie Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Oncology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yicheng Wu
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng Cheng
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanqing Wang
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huijie Chen
- Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fangli Chen
- Department of Hematology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bingdi Chen
- The Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jutang Li
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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2
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Hershberger CE, Raj R, Mariam A, Aykun N, Allende DS, Brown M, Aucejo F, Rotroff DM. Characterization of Salivary and Plasma Metabolites as Biomarkers for HCC: A Pilot Study. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4527. [PMID: 37760495 PMCID: PMC10527521 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15184527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising, and current screening methods lack sensitivity. This study aimed to identify distinct and overlapping metabolites in saliva and plasma that are significantly associated with HCC. (2) Methods: Saliva samples were collected from 42 individuals (HCC = 16, cirrhosis = 12, healthy = 14), with plasma samples from 22 (HCC = 14, cirrhosis = 2, healthy = 6). We performed untargeted mass spectrometry on blood and plasma, tested metabolites for associations with HCC or cirrhosis using a logistic regression, and identified enriched pathways with Metaboanalyst. Pearson's correlation was employed to test for correlations between salivary and plasma metabolites. (3) Results: Six salivary metabolites (1-hexadecanol, isooctanol, malonic acid, N-acetyl-valine, octadecanol, and succinic acid) and ten plasma metabolites (glycine, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, aconitic acid, isocitric acid, tagatose, cellobiose, fucose, glyceric acid, isocitric acid, isothreonic acid, and phenylacetic acid) were associated with HCC. Malonic acid was correlated between the paired saliva and plasma samples. Pathway analysis highlighted deregulation of the 'The Citric Acid Cycle' in both biospecimens. (4) Conclusions: Our study suggests that salivary and plasma metabolites may serve as independent sources for HCC detection. Despite the lack of correlation between individual metabolites, they converge on 'The Citric Acid Cycle' pathway, implicated in HCC pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney E Hershberger
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Center for Quantitative Metabolic Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Roma Raj
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Center for Quantitative Metabolic Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Arshiya Mariam
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Center for Quantitative Metabolic Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Nihal Aykun
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Center for Quantitative Metabolic Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Daniela S Allende
- Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Mark Brown
- Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Center for Microbiome and Human Health, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Federico Aucejo
- Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Daniel M Rotroff
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Center for Quantitative Metabolic Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
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3
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Ugonabo O, Udoh UAS, Rajan PK, Reeves H, Arcand C, Nakafuku Y, Joshi T, Finley R, Pierre SV, Sanabria JR. The Current Status of the Liver Liquid Biopsy in MASH Related HCC: Overview and Future Directions. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1369. [PMID: 37759769 PMCID: PMC10526956 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is one of the major risk factors for chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence of MASH in Western countries continues to rise, driving HCC as the third cause of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC has become a major global health challenge, partly from the obesity epidemic promoting metabolic cellular disturbances but also from the paucity of biomarkers for its early detection. Over 50% of HCC cases are clinically present at a late stage, where curative measures are no longer beneficial. Currently, there is a paucity of both specific and sensitive biological markers for the early-stage detection of HCC. The search for biological markers in the diagnosis of early HCC in high-risk populations is intense. We described the potential role of surrogates for a liver biopsy in the screening and monitoring of patients at risk for nesting HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onyinye Ugonabo
- Department of Medicine, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (O.U.); (T.J.)
| | - Utibe-Abasi Sunday Udoh
- Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25703, USA; (U.-A.S.U.); (P.K.R.); (Y.N.); (S.V.P.)
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
| | - Pradeep Kumar Rajan
- Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25703, USA; (U.-A.S.U.); (P.K.R.); (Y.N.); (S.V.P.)
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
| | - Heather Reeves
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
| | - Christina Arcand
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
| | - Yuto Nakafuku
- Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25703, USA; (U.-A.S.U.); (P.K.R.); (Y.N.); (S.V.P.)
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
| | - Tejas Joshi
- Department of Medicine, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (O.U.); (T.J.)
| | - Rob Finley
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
| | - Sandrine V. Pierre
- Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25703, USA; (U.-A.S.U.); (P.K.R.); (Y.N.); (S.V.P.)
| | - Juan Ramon Sanabria
- Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25703, USA; (U.-A.S.U.); (P.K.R.); (Y.N.); (S.V.P.)
- Department of Surgery, Marshall University School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA; (H.R.); (C.A.); (R.F.)
- Department of Nutrition and Metabolomic Core Facility, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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4
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Feng N, Yu F, Yu F, Feng Y, Zhu X, Xie Z, Zhai Y. Metabolomic biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e28510. [PMID: 35060504 PMCID: PMC8772637 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000028510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant cancer which lack of effective diagnosis and prognosis biomarkers, therefore surging studies focused on the metabolite candidates for HCC. The current study was designed to systematically review the metabolic studies for HCC, summarize the current available evidence and provide implication for further studies within this area. By systematically screening Pubmed and Embase, and eligibility assessment, we eventually included 55 pieces of studies. After summarized their characteristics, we reviewed them by 3 parts, regarding to the different biofluid they carried out the experiments. By collecting the candidates from all the included studies, we carried out pathway enrichment to see the representative of the reported candidates, as expected the pathway consistent with the current knowledge of HCC. Next, we conduct quality assessment on the included studies. Only 36% of the current evidence grouped as high quality, indicating the quality of metabolic studies needs further improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningning Feng
- Department of Infection Disease & Hepatology Ward, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Fatao Yu
- Department of Infection Disease & Hepatology Ward, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Feng Yu
- Oncology Department, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Yuling Feng
- Department of Infection Disease & Hepatology Ward, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhu
- Department of Infection Disease & Hepatology Ward, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Zhihui Xie
- Department of Infection Disease & Hepatology Ward, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Yi Zhai
- Oncology Department, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
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5
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The Prognostic Role of Glutathione and Its Related Antioxidant Enzymes in the Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13114071. [PMID: 34836325 PMCID: PMC8622054 DOI: 10.3390/nu13114071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The imbalance of high oxidative stress and low antioxidant capacities is thought to be a significant cause of the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the impact of oxidative stress, glutathione (GSH), and its related antioxidant enzymes on the recurrence of HCC has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to compare the changes to oxidative stress and GSH-related antioxidant capacities before and after tumor resection in patients with HCC recurrence and non-recurrence. We also evaluated the prognostic significance of GSH and its related enzymes in HCC recurrence. This was a cross-sectional and follow-up study. Ninety-two HCC patients who were going to receive tumor resection were recruited. We followed patients' recurrence and survival status until the end of the study, and then assigned patients into the recurrent or the non-recurrent group. The tumor recurrence rate was 52.2% during the median follow-up period of 3.0 years. Patients had significantly lower plasma malondialdehyde level, but significantly or slightly higher levels of GSH, glutathione disulfide, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities after tumor resection compared to the respective levels before tumor resection in both recurrent and non-recurrent groups. GSH level in HCC tissue was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissue in both recurrent and non-recurrent patients. Decreased plasma GPx (HR = 0.995, p = 0.01) and GR (HR = 0.98, p = 0.04) activities before tumor resection, and the increased change of GPx (post-pre-resection) (HR = 1.004, p = 0.03) activity were significantly associated with the recurrence of HCC. These findings suggest there might be a possible application of GPx or GR as therapeutic targets for reducing HCC recurrence.
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6
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Cao LL, Han Y, Wang Y, Pei L, Yue Z, Qin L, Liu B, Cui J, Jia M, Wang H. Metabolic Profiling Identified a Novel Biomarker Panel for Metabolic Syndrome-Positive Hepatocellular Cancer. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:816748. [PMID: 35154012 PMCID: PMC8826723 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.816748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an independent risk factor for hepatocellular cancer (HCC). Currently, there is no highly sensitive and specific biomarkers for HCC surveillance in MetS population. Metabolomics has been reported as a powerful technology for biomarker discovery. In the present study, we aimed to explore novel biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for MetS-positive [MetS(+)] HCC by metabolomic analysis. At first, many serum metabolites were found dysregulated in MetS(+) HCC individuals. Validation of the dysregulated metabolites by targeted metabolite analyses revealed that serum L-glutamic acid (L-glu), pipecolic acid (PA) and 7-methylguanine (7-mG) were increased in MetS(+) HCC compared to MetS group. Then a biomarker panel including L-glu, PA and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was identified as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of MetS(+) HCC. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.87 for discriminating MetS(+) HCC from MetS group. The biomarker panel was capable of detecting small (AUC = 0.82) and early-stage (AUC = 0.78) tumors as well. Moreover, it exhibited great diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.93) for discriminating MetS(+) HCC from other MetS-associated cancers, including colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. Collectively, our study establishes a novel diagnostic tool for MetS(+) HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Lin Cao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Lin-Lin Cao,
| | - Yi Han
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanxiao Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Pei
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhihong Yue
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Li Qin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Boyu Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jingwen Cui
- SCIEX Analytical Instrument Trading Co., Shanghai, China
| | - Mei Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
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Balcells C, Foguet C, Tarragó-Celada J, de Atauri P, Marin S, Cascante M. Tracing metabolic fluxes using mass spectrometry: Stable isotope-resolved metabolomics in health and disease. Trends Analyt Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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8
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Guo W, Tan HY, Wang N, Wang X, Feng Y. Deciphering hepatocellular carcinoma through metabolomics: from biomarker discovery to therapy evaluation. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:715-734. [PMID: 29692630 PMCID: PMC5903488 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s156837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of death from cancer, with increasing prevalence worldwide. The mortality rate of HCC is similar to its incidence rate, which reflects its poor prognosis. At present, the diagnosis of HCC is still mostly dependent on invasive biopsy, imaging methods, and serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) testing. Because of the asymptomatic nature of early HCC, biopsy and imaging methods usually detect HCC at the middle–late stages. AFP has limited sensitivity and specificity, as many other nonmalignant liver diseases can also result in a very high serum level of AFP. Therefore, better biomarkers with higher sensitivity and specificity at earlier stages are greatly needed. Since metabolic reprogramming is an essential hallmark of cancer and the liver is the metabolic hub of living systems, it is useful to investigate HCC from a metabolic perspective. As a noninvasive and nondestructive approach, metabolomics provides holistic information on dynamically metabolic responses of living systems to both endogenous and exogenous factors. Therefore, it would be conducive to apply metabolomics in investigating HCC. In this review, we summarize recent metabolomic studies on HCC cellular, animal, and clinicopathologic models with attention to metabolomics as a biomarker in cancer diagnosis. Recent applications of metabolomics with respect to therapeutic and prognostic evaluation of HCC are also covered, with emphasis on the potential of treatment by drugs from natural products. In the last section, the current challenges and trends of future development of metabolomics on HCC are discussed. Overall, metabolomics provides us with novel insight into the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic evaluation of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Guo
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Hor Yue Tan
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ning Wang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuanbin Wang
- Laboratory of Chinese Herbal Pharmacology, Oncology Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Yibin Feng
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China.,Laboratory of Chinese Herbal Pharmacology, Oncology Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
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