Prunella vulgaris seed oil alleviates cancer related fatigue through hypothalamic inflammation and CRH regulation

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom in cancer patients, affecting their quality of life. Prunella vulgaris and its seed oil (PVSO) are edible-medicinal foods with bioactive compounds that may alleviate CRF. The present study aimed to test the effects of PVSO on CRF and underlying mechanisms. We found PVSO improved fatigue-like behaviors in both LPS-induced and tumor-bearing models. In the breast cancer tumor-bearing animals, PVSO reduced tumor growth, and suppressed serum and hypothalamic inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and NF-κB signaling. Furthermore, the hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression and serum CRH/cortisol levels dampened in tumor-bearing animals were normalized by PVSO. Our results suggest that PVSO exhibits potent anti-CRF effects likely via attenuation of cancer-induced hypothalamic inflammation and subsequent normalization of the dysregulated HPA axis. PVSO may be developed as a functional food for breast cancer-related fatigue.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
npj Science of Food
Published
2025-09-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00541-5
Primary Topic
Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Prunella vulgaris seed oil alleviates cancer related fatigue through hypothalamic inflammation and CRH regulation

Ruiyi Liu, Shan Xing, Qing Hu, Mária A. Deli et al.
npj Science of Food
Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
article

Prunella vulgaris seed oil alleviates cancer related fatigue through hypothalamic inflammation and CRH regulation

Ruiyi Liu, Shan Xing, Qing Hu, Mária A. Deli, Zhangjie Wu, Changyu Wu, Hailou Zhang, Mingzhi Han, Ying Yin, Hao Chen, Chengyu Zhang, Yue Peng
article en

Abstract

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom in cancer patients, affecting their quality of life. Prunella vulgaris and its seed oil (PVSO) are edible-medicinal foods with bioactive compounds that may alleviate CRF. The present study aimed to test the effects of PVSO on CRF and underlying mechanisms. We found PVSO improved fatigue-like behaviors in both LPS-induced and tumor-bearing models. In the breast cancer tumor-bearing animals, PVSO reduced tumor growth, and suppressed serum and hypothalamic inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and NF-κB signaling. Furthermore, the hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression and serum CRH/cortisol levels dampened in tumor-bearing animals were normalized by PVSO. Our results suggest that PVSO exhibits potent anti-CRF effects likely via attenuation of cancer-induced hypothalamic inflammation and subsequent normalization of the dysregulated HPA axis. PVSO may be developed as a functional food for breast cancer-related fatigue.

npj Science of FoodVol. 9(1)
Jinan University (CN), HUN-REN Szegedi Biológiai Kutatóközpont (HU), Zhuhai People's Hospital (CN), Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CN), Guangdong Province Special Equipment Testing and Research Institute Zhuhai Testing Institute (CN), Institute of Biophysics (HU), County Hospital (GB), Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.