- 2025-09-24
- Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology 148
- Li Liu
- Yiwen Bao
- Yanfang Chen
- Meiling Ding
- Huan Liang
- Bin Li
- Xinyu Qin
- Nan Zeng
Study Design
- Type
- Systematic Review
- Sample size
- n = 1,742
- Methods
- A systematic search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI databases. The search was conducted from the time of database construction to August 2024. A total of 1742 articles were searched, and after screening, 83 articles were finally included in this study.
Background
Dioscorea, as a plant genus, possesses dual value for both medicinal and dietary purposes. Recently, numerous studies have demonstrated that the genus Dioscorea extracts (DEs) and their compounds (DCs) exhibit significant anticancer properties.Purpose
This review summarizes pharmacological mechanisms, toxicology, and clinical studies of Dioscorea to evaluate its potential for novel anticancer drug development.Methods
A systematic search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI databases. The search was conducted from the time of database construction to August 2024. A total of 1742 articles were searched, and after screening, 83 articles were finally included in this study.Results
The analysis of 83 articles revealed that DEs and DCs exert their anticancer effects through six primary mechanisms: (1) promotion of apoptosis, (2) prevention of cancer cell proliferation, (3) suppression of tumor metastasis, (4) activation of autophagy, (5) modulation of immune responses, and (6) prevention of cancer development.Conclusion
DCs and DEs exhibit broad-spectrum anticancer properties. In particular, dioscin exhibits low toxicity and exerts strong anticancer effects through multiple pathways and targets. Future studies should focus on investigating these DEs and DCs, especially dioscin, as a novel anticancer agent.