Mechanistic insights into the anti-metastatic effects of calycosin from Ruanjianhugan tablets on hepatocellular carcinoma via CHEK1 targeting: a network analysis
- 1Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning 530021 Guangxi China
- 2Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning 530021 Guangxi China
- 3Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning 530021 Guangxi China
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis often threatens patient survival. However, there is still a lack of effective treatments to tackle this problem. Ruanjianhugan tablets (hepatoprotective and fibrolytic tablets), a traditional Chinese herbal compound, have demonstrated potential in repressing the progression of HCC. However, the exact active ingredients and mechanisms behind its effects are not yet fully understood. In this study, we leveraged network-pharmacology tools to screen the key bioactive constituent—calycosin (Cal)—from this compound formula and predicted it as the target for the downstream gene checkpoint kinase 1 (CHEK1) in HCC cells. Subsequent cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) verified that Cal bound CHEK1. In vitro, CCK-8, colony-formation, Transwell and Western-blot assays showed that Cal markedly suppressed HCC-cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. In xenograft nude-mouse and tail-vein lung metastasis models, exogenous Cal bound CHEK1 and thereby inhibited HCC metastasis and tumor growth. Collectively, these results not only establish Cal as the core pharmacodynamic component of Ruanjianhugan tablets but also unveil a novel Cal–CHEK1 axis underlying anti-HCC metastasis.
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BibTeX
@article{wan2026mechanistic,
title = {{Mechanistic insights into the anti-metastatic effects of calycosin from Ruanjianhugan tablets on hepatocellular carcinoma via CHEK1 targeting: a network analysis}},
author = {Peiqi Wan and Zhihong Liu and Kai Li and Zhang Wen and Qiuyue Ning and Fang Xiao},
journal = {The Korean Journal of Physiology \& Pharmacology : Official Journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.4196/kjpp.25.327},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.25.327},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mechanistic insights into the anti-metastatic effects of calycosin from Ruanjianhugan tablets on hepatocellular carcinoma via CHEK1 targeting: a network analysis
AU - Peiqi Wan
AU - Zhihong Liu
AU - Kai Li
AU - Zhang Wen
AU - Qiuyue Ning
AU - Fang Xiao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology : Official Journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology
DO - 10.4196/kjpp.25.327
UR - https://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.25.327
AB - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis often threatens patient survival. However, there is still a lack of effective treatments to tackle this problem. Ruanjianhugan tablets (hepatoprotective and fibrolytic tablets), a traditional Chinese herbal compound, have demonstrated potential in repressing the progression of HCC. However, the exact active ingredients and mechanisms behind its effects are not yet fully understood. In this study, we leveraged network-pharmacology tools to screen the key bioactive constituent—calycosin (Cal)—from this compound formula and predicted it as the target for the downstream gene checkpoint kinase 1 (CHEK1) in HCC cells. Subsequent cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) verified that Cal bound CHEK1. In vitro, CCK-8, colony-formation, Transwell and Western-blot assays showed that Cal markedly suppressed HCC-cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. In xenograft nude-mouse and tail-vein lung metastasis models, exogenous Cal bound CHEK1 and thereby inhibited HCC metastasis and tumor growth. Collectively, these results not only establish Cal as the core pharmacodynamic component of Ruanjianhugan tablets but also unveil a novel Cal–CHEK1 axis underlying anti-HCC metastasis.
SN - 1226-4512
SN - 2093-3827
ER -