Tong HX, Zhang JL, Nie WY, Jiang LJ, Hu JQ, Lu T. Synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of triptolide and quercetin via co-inhibition and interaction with Janus kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin signal pathway. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(4): 114420 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i4.114420]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Tao Lu, PhD, Professor, School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11 North 3rd Ring East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China. taolu@bucm.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Basic Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jan 28, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 23, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Gastroenterology
ISSN
1007-9327
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Tong HX, Zhang JL, Nie WY, Jiang LJ, Hu JQ, Lu T. Synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of triptolide and quercetin via co-inhibition and interaction with Janus kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin signal pathway. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(4): 114420 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i4.114420]
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 28, 2026; 32(4): 114420 Published online Jan 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i4.114420
Synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of triptolide and quercetin via co-inhibition and interaction with Janus kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin signal pathway
Hong-Xuan Tong, Jia-Le Zhang, Wen-Yi Nie, Li-Jie Jiang, Jing-Qing Hu, Tao Lu
Hong-Xuan Tong, Jia-Le Zhang, Li-Jie Jiang, Jing-Qing Hu, Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Wen-Yi Nie, Department of College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830054, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
Jing-Qing Hu, China Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Development Center, Beijing 100027, China
Tao Lu, School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
Co-corresponding authors: Jing-Qing Hu and Tao Lu.
Author contributions: Tong HX, Tao Lu and Jing-Qing Hu designed the study and contributed equally to this manuscript, Hu JQ and Lu T are the co-corresponding authors of this manuscript. Tong HX drafted the manuscript and draw the figures, finished data statistics and analysis; Hu JQ and Lu T revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; Jiang LJ checked the data statistics and analysis; Zhang JL and Nie WY sorted out and eliminated the data. All the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. CI2023C060YLL; and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. YZX-202240 and No. CYZ-202504.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All animal experiments were performed in accordance with the National Institutes of Health guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (Approval No. BSK1731).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tao Lu, PhD, Professor, School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11 North 3rd Ring East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China. taolu@bucm.edu.cn
Received: September 19, 2025 Revised: October 28, 2025 Accepted: December 8, 2025 Published online: January 28, 2026 Processing time: 126 Days and 5.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study demonstrates that a specific combination of triptolide (25 nmol/L) and quercetin (100 μmol/L) exerts a synergistic antitumor effect against hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo. The combination significantly inhibits tumor cell proliferation, induces apoptosis, and suppresses migration and invasion more effectively than either drug alone. Mechanistically, this synergy is achieved through the simultaneous inhibition of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathways, as confirmed by transcriptomic analysis, molecular docking, and western blot validation. Importantly, the combination reduces the required dose of triptolide, thereby mitigating its toxic side effects while maintaining potent anticancer efficacy. This research highlights a promising therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma that leverages the complementary actions of natural compounds to enhance treatment outcomes.
