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Review
. 2025 Jan 14:15:1495393.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1495393. eCollection 2024.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A: a natural pigment with potential anticancer therapeutic effect

Yuhan Wang  1 , Junsha An  1 , Jianbo Zhou  1 , Liming Chang  1 , Quan Zhang  2   3   4 , Fu Peng  1
Affiliations
Review

Hydroxysafflor yellow A: a natural pigment with potential anticancer therapeutic effect

Yuhan Wang et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), a natural pigment with a chalcone structure extracted from Carthamus tinctorius L. (Safflower), has been widely proven to have good efficacy on cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, cancer, and diabetes. However, no study has reported on the anticancer mechanisms of Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), a principal bioactive compound in safflower. This review discusses recent developments in the physicochemical properties and sources, pharmacological effects and mechanisms, pharmacokinetic progress, and safety of HSYA, focusing on the involvement of HSYA in the regulation of related pathways and mechanisms of apoptosis, autophagy, and the tumor immune microenvironment in a variety of cancers. This can serve as a theoretical basis for further research and development of HSYA, with insights into the mechanisms of anticancer signaling pathways.

Keywords: anticancer effect; hydroxysafflor yellow A; pharmacokinetic progress; pharmacological effects; safety.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The screen flowchart of cancer research articles related to hydroxysafflor yellow A in databases.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The structure of HSYA and cardamonin
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The effect of HSYA on cancer cell apotosis in hepatic cancer and ovarian cancer.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The major proven regulatory pathways of HSYA on various cancer.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
The effect of HSYA on cancer cell autophagy in hepatic cancer.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
The effect of HSYA on tumor immune micro-environment in hepatic cancer and ovarian cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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