The mechanism of reversal of multidrug resistance in cancer by a Chinese medicine monomer named Zhebeimu

Abstract. Chemotherapy is one of the commonly used means of tumour treatment, but the occurrence of tumour multidrug resistance (MDR) has added great difficulties to tumour treatment and caused serious physical and psychological harm to patients. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Zhebeimu (Fritillaria thunbergii Miq, ZBM) has the effect of reversing the drug resistance of tumour cells, and it is commonly used in the study of various malignant tumours, such as leukaemia, breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. By analysing and summarizing the chemical constituents of ZBM and their related studies on reversal of tumour cell resistance in recent years, the article concludes that the chemical constituents in ZBM can achieve their reversal of drug resistance in a variety of tumour cells by inhibiting the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), decreasing the exocytosis of drugs, increasing the concentration of intracellular drugs, modulating the ROS, and other mechanisms. At present, there is a relative lack of research and treatment of tumour MDR in clinical practice, and the search for reversal agents and reversal strategies for tumour MDR has become an urgent problem, and this paper provides an in-depth study of ZBM, which provides a reliable basis for subsequent application in clinical practice.