Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Curcuma aromatica Salisb. inhibits liver metastasis of colon cancer by regulating EMT via the CXCL8/CXCR2 axis and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

{"sci_version": "1.2", "schema": "https://corpus.bntrg.co.uk/sci/1.0/sci.schema.json", "id": "pmid:35922850", "kind": "science-record", "revision": 5, "content_hash": "sha256:0da5b350144d98bf0b6262378ab6f1193fc6442113955d8e2026942fec726011", "created_at": "2026-11-01T18:15:00Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-01T22:49:42Z", "generator": {"name": "corpus-assay-engine", "run_id": "reading-sci-2026-11-01"}, "paper": {"state": "complete", "title": "Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Curcuma aromatica Salisb. inhibits liver metastasis of colon cancer by regulating EMT via the CXCL8/CXCR2 axis and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.", "doi": "10.1186/s13020-022-00641-4", "pmid": "35922850", "authors": ["Fuyan Liu", "Yan Liang", "Ruolan Sun", "Weicheng Yang", "Zhongqing Liang", "Junfei Gu", "Fan Zhao", "Decai Tang"], "journal": "Chinese medicine", "year": 2022, "abstract": "BACKGROUND: One of the most challenging aspects of colon cancer (CC) prognosis and treatment is liver-tropic metastasis. Astragalus mongholicus Bunge-Curcuma aromatica Salisb. (AC) is a typical medication combination for the therapy of many malignancies. Our previous studies found that AC intervention inhibits liver metastasis of colon cancer (LMCC). Nevertheless, the comprehensive anti-metastasis mechanisms of AC have not been uncovered.\nMETHODS: In bioinformatics analysis, RNA-seq data of CC and LMCC patients were collected from TCGA and GEO databases, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The biological processes and signaling pathways involved in DEGs were enriched by GO and KEGG. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs was established and visualized using the Cytocape software, followed by screening Hub genes in the PPI network using Degree value as the criterion. Subsequently, the expression and survival relevance of Hub gene in COAD patients were verified. In the experimental study, the effects of AC on the inhibition of colon cancer growth and liver metastasis were comprehensively evaluated by cellular and animal models. Finally, based on the results of bioinformatics analysis, the possible mechanisms of AC inhibition of colon cancer EMT and liver metastasis were explored by in vivo and in vitro pharmacological experiments.\nRESULTS: In this study, we obtained 2386 DEGs relevant to LMCC from the COAD (colon adenocarcinoma) and GSE38174 datasets. Results of GO gene function and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis suggested that cellular EMT (Epithelial-mesenchymal transition) biological processes, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways might be closely related to LMCC mechanism. We then screened for CXCL8, the core hub gene with the highest centrality within the PPI network of DEGs, and discovered that CXCL8 expression was negatively correlated with the prognosis of COAD patients. In vitro and in vivo experimental evidence presented that AC significantly inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability, and suppressed tumor growth and liver metastasis in colon cancer orthotopic transplantation mice models. Concomitantly, AC significantly reduced CXCL8 expression levels in cell supernatants and serum. Moreover, AC reduced the expression and transcription of genes related to the PI3K/AKT pathway while suppressing the EMT process in colon cancer cells and model mice.\nCONCLUSIONS: In summary, our research predicted the potential targets and pathways of LMCC, and experimentally demonstrated that AC might inhibit the growth and liver metastasis in colon cancer by regulating EMT via the CXCL8/CXCR2 axis and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, which may facilitate the discovery of mechanisms and new therapeutic strategies for LMCC.", "claims": [{"id": "claim-method", "statement": "The COAD RNA-seq dataset were normalized for expression values adopting the edgeR package in R language software (version R × 64 4.1.0), and the limma package was used to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs).", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:35922850", "locator": "sections[6] \"Identification of DEGs\" paragraph 2", "quote": "The COAD RNA-seq dataset were normalized for expression values adopting the edgeR package in R language software (version R × 64 4.1.0), and the limma package was used to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs)."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-data-access", "statement": "The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:35922850", "locator": "sections[40] \"Availability of data and materials\" paragraph 2", "quote": "The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-target-result", "statement": "2386 DEGs relevant to liver metastasis of colon cancer were identified from the COAD and GSE38174 datasets.", "kind": "qualitative", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:35922850", "locator": "sections[0] \"Abstract\" paragraph 3", "quote": "In this study, we obtained 2386 DEGs relevant to LMCC from the COAD (colon adenocarcinoma) and GSE38174 datasets."}], "state": "complete"}], "gaps": []}, "experiment": {"state": "complete", "objective": "2386 DEGs relevant to liver metastasis of colon cancer were identified from the COAD and GSE38174 datasets.", "steps": [{"id": "read_published_estimate", "order": 1, "name": "Read the published estimate from the source", "kind": "other", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The claim, method and evidence span published with the source article.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["source:pmid:35922850"], "outputs": ["the published estimate and its evidence"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "obtain_source_data", "order": 2, "name": "Obtain the source data from the named repository", "kind": "data-preparation", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The GEO series accession resolves and its sample accessions are listed. This lane did not download the dataset or read its licence.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["data:geo:GSE38174"], "outputs": ["the source data with its repository provenance"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "run_analysis", "order": 3, "name": "Run the published analysis", "kind": "analysis", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "Apply the paper's statistical method to the resolved series and compare the result with the published target.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["data:geo:GSE38174"], "outputs": ["the replicated result and its comparison"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}], "materials": [], "instruments": [], "reagents": [], "conditions": {}, "gaps": []}, "data": {"state": "partial", "assets": [{"id": "source:pmid:35922850", "role": "manuscript", "format": "xml", "media_type": "application/xml", "uri": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-022-00641-4", "sha256": "sha256:c739faeb8e214fa42d1befa08791d0ea0855d483a2cfb329864bb6d45ddfd10c", "bytes": 76368, "access": "open", "state": "resolved", "reader": null, "reader_status": "reader_required", "identifier": "10.1186/s13020-022-00641-4", "version": null, "note": "Full article fetched from PMC; the checksum covers the rendered section body, not the original XML bytes.", "structure": {"pmcid": "PMC9351103", "source": "europe_pmc_fulltext", "coverage": "whole_body", "text_hash_scope": "rendered_section_body"}}, {"id": "data:geo:GSE38174", "role": "raw", "format": "geo-series", "media_type": "application/vnd.ncbi.geo-series+json", "uri": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE38174", "sha256": null, "bytes": null, "access": "open", "state": "resolved", "reader": null, "reader_status": "reader_required", "identifier": "GSE38174", "version": null, "note": "The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.", "structure": {"repository": "GEO", "access_route": "GEO accession URL", "access_statement_verbatim": "The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.", "access_statement_kind": "data_availability_statement", "sample_accessions": ["GSM936257", "GSM936258", "GSM936259", "GSM936260", "GSM936261", "GSM936262", "GSM936263", "GSM936264", "GSM936265", "GSM936266", "GSM936267", "GSM936268", "GSM936269", "GSM936270", "GSM936271", "GSM936272", "GSM936273", "GSM936274", "GSM936275", "GSM936276", "GSM936277", "GSM936278", "GSM936279", "GSM936280", "GSM936281", "GSM936282", "GSM936283", "GSM936284", "GSM936285", "GSM936286", "GSM936287", "GSM936288", "GSM936289", "GSM936290", "GSM936291", "GSM936292", "GSM936293", "GSM936294", "GSM936295", "GSM936296", "GSM936297", "GSM936298", "GSM936299", "GSM936300", "GSM936301", "GSM936302", "GSM936303", "GSM936304", "GSM936305", "GSM936306", "GSM936307", "GSM936308", "GSM936309", "GSM936310", "GSM936311", "GSM936312", "GSM936313", "GSM936314", "GSM936315", "GSM936316", "GSM936317", "GSM936318", "GSM936319", "GSM936320", "GSM936321", "GSM936322", "GSM936323", "GSM936324", "GSM936325", "GSM936326", "GSM936327", "GSM936328", "GSM936329", "GSM936330", "GSM936331", "GSM936332", "GSM936333", "GSM936334", "GSM936335", "GSM936336", "GSM936337", "GSM936338", "GSM936339", "GSM936340", "GSM936341", "GSM936342", "GSM936343", "GSM936344", "GSM936345", "GSM936346", "GSM936347", "GSM936348", "GSM936349", "GSM936350", "GSM936351", "GSM936352"], "sample_count": 96, "group_sizes": null, "group_sizes_basis": null, "platform": "6480", "taxon": "Homo sapiens", "title": "A Study of the Gene Expression of Colorectal Liver Metastases: Tumour, ‘Halo’ and Liver Parenchyma", "resolution_checked_at": "2026-11-01T18:06:44Z", "resolution_check": "identifier_resolution_only_no_download_no_licence_read", "downloaded": false, "licence_read": false}}], "gaps": ["asset:data:geo:GSE38174 not downloaded", "asset:data:geo:GSE38174 licence not read"]}, "analysis": {"state": "partial", "methods": [{"id": "method-1", "family": "differential_expression", "specific": "edger", "label": "Differential expression analysis", "dsl_operations": ["normalise_counts", "differential_expression_fit", "fdr_bh"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["count_matrix_with_condition"], "evidence": {"score": 1.0, "band": "verbatim", "quote": "The COAD RNA-seq dataset were normalized for expression values adopting the edgeR package in R language software (version R × 64 4.1.0), and the limma package was used to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs)."}}, {"id": "method-2", "family": "group_comparison", "specific": "anova", "label": "Group comparison", "dsl_operations": ["group_summary", "welch_t", "bootstrap_mean_difference", "group_comparison_anova"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["two_or_more_groups_continuous"], "evidence": {"score": 0.8, "band": "high", "quote": "ANOVA"}}, {"id": "method-3", "family": "differential_expression", "specific": "limma_voom", "label": "Differential expression analysis", "dsl_operations": ["normalise_counts", "differential_expression_fit", "fdr_bh"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["count_matrix_with_condition"], "evidence": {"score": 0.8, "band": "high", "quote": "limma"}}, {"id": "method-4", "family": "network_analysis", "specific": "ppi_network", "label": "Network / pathway analysis", "dsl_operations": ["build_graph", "centrality_scores", "pathway_enrich"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["edge_list"], "evidence": {"score": 0.7, "band": "medium", "quote": "protein-protein interaction"}}, {"id": "method-5", "family": "network_analysis", "specific": "pathway_enrichment", "label": "Network / pathway analysis", "dsl_operations": ["pathway_enrich"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["edge_list"], "evidence": {"score": 0.7, "band": "medium", "quote": "pathway enrichment"}}, {"id": "method-6", "family": "network_analysis", "specific": "centrality", "label": "Network / pathway analysis", "dsl_operations": ["build_graph", "centrality_scores", "pathway_enrich"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["edge_list"], "evidence": {"score": 0.7, "band": "medium", "quote": "centrality"}}, {"id": "method-7", "family": "diagnostic_evaluation", "specific": "roc", "label": "Diagnostic test evaluation", "dsl_operations": ["confusion_counts", "roc_curve", "sensitivity_specificity", "solve_confusion_matrix", "classification_metrics", "published_precision_envelope"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["reference_standard_and_test"], "evidence": {"score": 0.8, "band": "high", "quote": "ROC curve"}}], "targets": [], "gaps": ["method.reader_differs_from_extractor"]}, "capability": {"state": "complete", "requirements": [{"capability_id": "capability:computational_analysis", "label": "Computational analysis platform", "assay_families": ["meta_analysis", "machine_learning", "survival_analysis", "statistical_regression", "pca", "molecular_docking", "network_analysis", "differential_expression", "gwas"], "availability_state": "owned", "tier_unlocked": "R1", "candidate": "Automated Assays Laravel application and simulated adapters"}], "gaps": []}, "readiness": {"state": "complete", "tier": "R1", "blocking_axis": "none", "blocked_on": "nothing:replicable_now", "axes": {"method": {"tier": "R1", "expressible": true, "required_operations": ["normalise_counts", "differential_expression_fit", "fdr_bh"], "missing_operations": [], "basis": "The paper names the method it used and the corpus's method extractor maps it onto the DSL catalogue: edger."}, "capability": {"tier": "R1", "capability_id": "capability:computational_analysis", "availability_state": "owned", "basis": "The computational analysis is owned. The physical bench the paper used is not, so a physical validation cannot be run here."}, "data": {"tier": "R1", "reachable": true, "accessions": ["GSE38174"], "resolved_accessions": ["GSE38174"], "statements": ["The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request."], "basis": "The paper names GSE38174 in GEO and the accession resolves in the repository. No dataset was downloaded and no licence was read."}}, "can_run": {"dsl_operations": ["normalise_counts", "differential_expression_fit", "fdr_bh"], "assets": ["source:pmid:35922850", "data:geo:GSE38174"], "steps": ["run_analysis"]}, "must_build": {"dsl_operations": [], "converters": [], "readers": [], "capabilities": [], "data_gaps": ["data:geo:GSE38174"]}, "gaps": []}, "review": {"state": "partial", "machine_critique": {"kind": "extraction_review", "reader": {"model": "MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", "provider": "minimax", "provider_family": "minimax", "read_at": "2026-11-01T17:58:25Z", "independence": "single_reader"}, "evidence_check": {"method": "verbatim", "availability": "verbatim"}, "calls": 5, "usage": {"prompt_tokens": 21475, "completion_tokens": 2154, "cached_tokens": 128}}, "human_critique": null, "stages": [{"id": "extraction", "state": "complete", "reader": "MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", "provider": "minimax"}], "gaps": ["review.independent_reader", "review.machine_critique", "review.human_critique"]}, "execution": {"state": "absent", "status": "not_run", "mode": null, "runs": [], "gaps": ["execution.not_run"]}, "provenance": {"entities": [{"id": "pmid:35922850", "type": "paper", "label": "pmid:35922850"}, {"id": "source:pmid:35922850", "type": "manuscript", "label": "PMID 35922850 full text"}, {"id": "data:geo:GSE38174", "type": "dataset", "label": "GEO GSE38174"}], "activities": [{"id": "activity-reading-sci-2026-11-01", "type": "classification", "used": [{"id": "pmid:35922850", "type": "paper", "label": "pmid:35922850"}, {"id": "source:pmid:35922850", "type": "manuscript", "label": "PMID 35922850 full text"}, {"id": "data:geo:GSE38174", "type": "dataset", "label": "GEO GSE38174"}], "agent": "agent:corpus-assay-engine"}, {"id": "activity-read-35922850", "type": "extraction", "used": ["source:pmid:35922850"], "agent": "agent:minimax-reader"}, {"id": "activity-resolve-GSE38174", "type": "accession_resolution", "used": ["data:geo:GSE38174"], "agent": "agent:corpus-assay-engine"}], "agents": [{"id": "agent:corpus-assay-engine", "type": "software", "label": "Corpus assay engine"}, {"id": "agent:minimax-reader", "type": "software", "label": "MiniMax literature reader"}], "source_run_id": "reading-sci-2026-11-01", "dsl_catalogue_fingerprint": "343fb30756ba6ec3", "capability_table_fingerprint": "2cb3e42f047d2ecf", "snapshot_id": "ba34b49490d9bfaf"}, "lineage": {"parent_id": "pmid:35922850", "parent_hash": "sha256:38e526fec9e85766f5889b8f77c18ccc17155025e76e58eabe43e450d724c625", "fork_of": null, "generation": 4}, "gaps": ["asset:data:geo:GSE38174 licence not read", "asset:data:geo:GSE38174 not downloaded", "execution.not_run", "method.reader_differs_from_extractor", "review.human_critique", "review.independent_reader", "review.machine_critique"], "assays": [{"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "rna_seq", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.93, "evidence": ["overed. METHODS: In bioinformatics analysis, RNA-seq data of CC and LMCC patients were collected"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:616", "id": "assay:1"}, {"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "animal_model", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.99, "evidence": ["er EMT and liver metastasis were explored by in vivo and in vitro pharmacological experiments. RE", "the prognosis of COAD patients. In vitro and in vivo experimental evidence presented that AC sign", "ere injected into the axilla (6 mice). These mice were sacrificed ten days after injection (the tumor size gre", "ity (license No: SCXK (Su) 2017 − 0001). All mice were fed in a specific-pathogen-free condition, s"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:1475", "id": "assay:2"}, {"role": "analysis", "definition_id": "differential_expression", "definition_version": "f2132e96ae6c7a4e", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": ["normalise_counts", "differential_expression_fit", "fdr_bh"], "support_state": "supported", "source_hashes": {"dsl_catalogue": "f2132e96ae6c7a4e"}, "confidence": 1.0, "evidence": ["The COAD RNA-seq dataset were normalized for expression values adopting the edgeR package in R language software (version R × 64 4.1.0), and the limma package was used to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs)."], "order_basis": "consumes_earlier_output", "id": "assay:3"}]}