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Rhodiola rosea L.: an Herb with Anti-Stress, Anti-Aging, and Immunostimulating Properties for Cancer Chemoprevention

  • Cancer Chemoprevention (R Agarwal, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pharmacology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Rhodiola rosea extracts have been used as a dietary supplement in healthy populations, including athletes, to nonspecifically enhance the natural resistance of the body to both physical and behavior stresses for fighting fatigue and depression. We summarize the information with respect to the new pharmacological activities of Rhodiola rosea extracts and its underlying molecular mechanisms in this review article.

Recent Findings

In addition to its multiplex stress-protective activity, Rhodiola rosea extracts have recently demonstrated its anti-aging, anti-inflammation, immunostimulating, DNA repair, and anti-cancer effects in different model systems. Molecular mechanisms of Rhodiola rosea extracts’ action have been studied mainly along with one of its bioactive compounds, salidroside. Both Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside have contrast molecular mechanisms on cancer and normal physiological functions. For cancer, Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside inhibit the mTOR pathway and reduce angiogenesis through downregulation of the expression of HIF-1α/HIF-2α. For normal physiological functions, Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside activate the mTOR pathway, stimulate paracrine function, and promote neovascularization by inhibiting PHD3 and stabilizing HIF-1α proteins in skeletal muscles. In contrast to many natural compounds, salidroside is water-soluble and highly bioavailable via oral administration and concentrated in urine by kidney excretion.

Summary

Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside can impose cellular and systemic benefits similar to the effect of positive lifestyle interventions to normal physiological functions and for anti-cancer. The unique pharmacological properties of Rhodiola rosea extracts or salidroside deserve further investigation for cancer chemoprevention, in particular for human urinary bladder cancer.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by NIH award 1R01CA193967-01A1 and 1R21CA152804-01A1 (to X. Zi.). Victor Pham is currently supported by NSF graduate research fellowship program DGE-1321846.

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  1. Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, 101 The City Drive South, Rt.81 Bldg.55 Rm.302, Orange, CA, 92868, USA

    Yonghong Li, Victor Pham, Michelle Bui, Liankun Song, Chunli Wu, Arman Walia, Edward Uchio & Xiaolin Zi

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

    Victor Pham

  3. Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

    Feng Smith-Liu

  4. Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

    Xiaolin Zi

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  1. Yonghong Li
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Li, Y., Pham, V., Bui, M. et al. Rhodiola rosea L.: an Herb with Anti-Stress, Anti-Aging, and Immunostimulating Properties for Cancer Chemoprevention. Curr Pharmacol Rep 3, 384–395 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40495-017-0106-1

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