Steroids

Beta-Sitosterol a main dietary phytosterol found in plants, may have the potential for prevention and therapy for human cancer, β-sitosterol induces apoptosis in HT116 cells is associated with a decreased expression of the anti-apototic Bcl-2 protein and mRNA and a concomitant increase of the pro-apototic Bax protein and mRNA, and with release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol.

Cinobufagin, a kind of Chinese materia medica with antitumor effect, is widely used in clinical practice, especially in anti-liver cancer, it also has anti-hepatitis B virus activity . Cinobufagin inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis, may be related to the mitochondria-mediated pathway and GSK-3β/NF-κB pathway. Cinobufagin can significantly relieve cancer pain in mice and raised their pain threshold, mainly upregulating the expression levels of β -END and μ -OR in the hind paw tumor and adjacent tissue.Cinobufagin and bufalin exhibit cardiotonic and natriuretic activities, they also have inhibitory effects on steroidogenesis of aldosterone and cortisol.