Chinese herbal extracts mediated programmed cell death in cancer and inflammation therapy

Programmed cell death is a common phenomenon in the development of organisms. It is an active and orderly mode of cell death determined by genes. Programmed cell death is usually classified into 3 different types according to the cell morphological changes, stimulus, and biochemical pathways involved, namely, apoptosis, programmed necrosis, and autophagy. Chinese herbal extracts, mainly obtained from traditional Chinese medicine and their primary plants through the physicochemical extraction and separation process, are concentrated with 1 or more effective ingredients from the herbal materials. Recently, studies focused on the influence of traditional Chinese medicine on programmed cell death are increasing, involving the protection of the nervous system and cardio-cerebrovascular system, the prevention of gastrointestinal and immune function damage, the treatment against tumors, and so on. This review mainly focuses on the effects of Chinese herbal extracts on various types of programmed cell death. In addition, the therapeutic approaches and prospects of CHEs are also discussed. Although there are promising clinical applications of Chinese herbal extracts, some challenges are still waiting to be overcome by further research for the wider use of Chinese herbal extracts in clinical practice.