Jiayu Zhu,1,* Sihan Yin,2,* Shengping Luo,3 Fei Yu,1 Kewei Sun2 

1The First Clinical College of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Kewei Sun, Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, 95 Shaoshan Middle Road, Yuhua District, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China, Email keweisun550@163.com

Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor of the liver. Treatment programs according to its physiological and pathological characteristics have reduced the number of new cases and deaths of HCC, but the morbidity and mortality are still high, posing a significant threat to human health. In recent years, the importance of mitophagy in the treatment of HCC has gradually been recognized. The activation of mitophagy inhibits the survival, proliferation and migration of HCC cells through a variety of pathways, promotes cell apoptosis, and can also reduce drug resistance, providing a new direction for the treatment of HCC. Studies have shown that Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomers and their derivatives can improve the therapeutic efficacy of HCC and slow down disease progression by regulating mitophagy. This article summarizes the potential mechanism of mitophagy in the progression of HCC and comprehensively explores the potential of TCM monomers and their derivatives in the treatment of HCC, providing new perspectives and strategies for clinical treatment.

Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, mitophagy, traditional Chinese medicine monomers, derivatives