Research Progress in the Anti-tumor Effects and Mechanisms of Matrine and Oxymatrine

Matrine and oxymatrine,two kinds of alkaloid from Radix Sophorae Flavescentis,have various pharmacological activities.In recent years,much more attention has been paid to their anti-tumor potentials and mechanisms.Matrine and oxymatrine inhibit cancer cells proliferation,induce cell cycle arrest,elicit apoptosis,induce differentiation,restrain agiogenesis and inhibit invasion and metastasis.Furthermore,matrine and oxymatrine could reverse the multi-drug resistance and enhance the anti-cancer potential when combined treatment with other chemotherapeutic drugs.This article summarized the research progress in the anti-tumor effects and mechanisms of these two compounds in order to provide clues and references for the further study of them.