Research Progress on Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention in Cisplatin Resistance of Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in clinical practice. Platinum-based combination chemotherapy, primarily cisplatin, is the first-line standard treatment regimen. However, acquired resistance developed during treatment has become a bottleneck limiting clinical efficacy. In recent years, numerous studies have found that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) plays a significant role in enhancing the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin. This article reviews the research progress on the mechanisms by which TCM monomers and compounds reverse cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells, focusing on eight aspects: increasing intracellular drug concentration, reversing apoptosis inhibition, inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), inducing ferroptosis, regulating metabolic reprogramming, modulating intracellular autophagy, increasing DNA damage and inhibiting DNA repair, and intervening in resistance-related signaling pathways. The aim is to provide references for discovering safe and effective cisplatin resistance reversal agents.