Search Results (235)

Background: The genus Anchusa L. includes plants used in Uyghur medicine for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. However, in China, the botanical origin of HERBA ANCHUSAE (Niushecao, a Uyghur medicinal herb) is severely confused. Traditional identification methods and standard DNA barcodes do not work well for these close relatives. Chloroplast genomes are known to contain variable regions that can help distinguish species, yet no such study has been done for Anchusa. Therefore, We compared the complete chloroplast genomes of six Anchusa species and the main adulterants of Niushecao. Methods: We analyzed genome structure, repeat sequences, codon usage bias, and nucleotide diversity (Pi), as well as conducted comparative and phylogenetic analyses. Results: All genomes shared a typical ring-shaped quadripartite structure, ranged from 150,178 to 150,844 bp in size, and contained the same set of genes. Despite this overall conservation, we identified several highly variable spots, mostly located in non-coding intergenic spacer regions. Using two complementary approaches—sliding window analysis and mVISTA-based sequence visualization—we identified three overlapping regions (rbcL-psaI, petA-psbJ, and trnC-GCA-petN) as candidate DNA barcodes for species identification. Our phylogenetic tree showed that Anchusa strigosa Banks & Sol. is most closely related to the true medicinal species Anchusa azurea Mill. (Bootstrap support (BS) = 100%), while other look-alikes formed separate branches. Conclusions: These findings provide the first chloroplast genomic resources for this genus and offer potential molecular markers for authenticating Anchusa medicinal materials, laying a foundation for future development of molecular authentication methods. Full article

Irinotecan is a first-line medication for metastatic colorectal cancer. It is known that irinotecan-induced delayed diarrhea is closely related to metabolic processes in the human body. In particular, the synergies of multiple metabolic enzymes/transporters mediate the transport/regeneration of intestinal SN38. This efficient metabolite derived from irinotecan not only exerts robust cytotoxic effects, but also extends contact duration with the intestinal wall during enterohepatic circulation. These factors further affect the intestinal microenvironment, including intestinal flora disorder, intestinal immune dysregulation, and intestinal barrier impairment, which ultimately causes the occurrence of delayed diarrhea. At present, dose adjustment of irinotecan and combining drugs are common measures for clinical use. However, these regimens have shown limited therapeutic efficacy and face the risk of chemotherapy failure. Numerous studies have shown that herbal medicines and derived phytochemicals may also be promising complementary treatments. The characteristics of multi-target regulation of herbs are very suitable for the intervention strategy of complex diseases with multiple pathogenic links. This review focuses on the development of irinotecan-induced delayed diarrhea. We generalized the complex pathogenesis in detail and summarized relevant potential drugs and clinical agents. Special attention was paid to the feasibility of traditional Chinese medicine treatment. This will help expand medication regimens for irinotecan-related diarrhea and provide a reference for the development of precision drugs. Full article

This review examines the evolving role of muscle biopsy in the diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders in the era of modern genomic medicine. Historically the cornerstone of myopathy diagnosis, muscle biopsy enabled structural, histochemical, and ultrastructural characterization of muscle diseases. However, the introduction of next-generation sequencing and other genomic technologies has shifted the diagnostic paradigm, with genetic testing now serving as the preferred first-line approach for many hereditary myopathies due to its non-invasive nature and high diagnostic yield. However, muscle biopsy remains indispensable in the evaluation of inflammatory, toxic, metabolic, mitochondrial, and certain rare acquired myopathies. Biopsy is also valuable when genetic testing is inconclusive, particularly for interpreting variants of uncertain significance, through histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical analyses. In certain disorders, diagnosis may rely primarily on biopsy findings. Emerging technologies, including RNA sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics, spatial transcriptomics, and artificial intelligence-assisted pathology, are expanding the diagnostic value of muscle tissue beyond traditional morphological assessment. Rather than being replaced by genomic medicine, muscle biopsy is evolving into a complementary component of an integrated diagnostic strategy that combines clinical, pathological, and molecular data to improve diagnostic accuracy and guide precision medicine in neuromuscular disorders. Full article

Toad poison (ChanSu), a traditional animal-derived medicine, has long been used in East Asian medical systems for the treatment of inflammatory conditions and tumor-related disorders. While bufadienolides have been extensively investigated as its major bioactive constituents, the contribution of peptide components to its antitumor effects remains largely unexplored. Here, we identified protein-derived candidate antiproliferative peptides from toad poison using an integrated proteomics and bioinformatics-guided strategy. Proteomic analysis identified 135 proteins, from which 2117 peptide sequences were generated via in silico digestion with trypsin and pepsin. Subsequent multi-step screening using PeptideRanker, AntiCP, iACP, and ACPred yielded twelve candidate peptides with predicted anticancer activity. Network pharmacology analysis suggested their potential involvement in cancer-related targets and pathways. ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity) evaluation was subsequently used as a complementary assessment of drug-like and safety-related properties, further prioritizing four peptides for experimental validation, while molecular docking supported their interactions with key lung cancer-associated targets. In vitro assays demonstrated that three of the four prioritized peptides (WEAWN, NSQWG, and ACGVIGICQ) exhibited initial antiproliferative activity against human lung cancer A549 cells, though these findings should be interpreted with caution given the absence of a positive control in the MTT assay. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that protein-derived peptide candidates from toad poison may possess antiproliferative potential, representing an early systematic exploration of its previously unexplored peptidome as a source of candidate antiproliferative peptides warranting further pharmacological investigation. The integrated strategy presented here offers an efficient approach for the discovery of bioactive peptides from animal-derived traditional medicines. Full article

Recovery in elite athletes represents a critical determinant of performance and health outcomes. The gut microbiota has been proposed as a modulating factor for recovery through anti-inflammatory mechanisms, oxidative stress management, sleep regulation, and biosynthetic potential for essential micronutrients. This review examines the mechanisms linking gut microbiota composition and function to athletic recovery and critically evaluates the evidence supporting its application in sports medicine. Athletes appear to harbor a more enriched microbial biosynthetic potential, with substantially greater numbers of high-biological-impact synthases involved in the production of vitamins, amino acids, and bioactive metabolites. Short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate and propionate, have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical studies, with emerging evidence in humans. The gut–brain axis has been proposed to modulate recovery by regulating neurotransmitter production and controlling circadian rhythms. Sport-associated microbial signatures seem to reflect metabolic demands, with endurance athletes showing enrichment for Prevotella and Veillonella, while strength athletes tend to harbor higher levels of proteolytic bacteria. Probiotic interventions with multi-strain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium formulations have reported reductions in inflammatory markers, improvements in oxidative stress biomarkers, and enhanced sleep quality in small-scale randomized controlled trials involving athletic populations, and improvements in self-reported sleep quality in a controlled, non-randomized study in elite athletes. Optimizing gut microbiota composition and function offers a promising complementary strategy for enhancing recovery in elite athletes. Potential applications that require prospective validation include sport-specific probiotic interventions, nutritional strategies to enhance short-chain fatty acid production, and the integration of microbiota assessment with traditional recovery monitoring. Further research is needed to establish standardized protocols and identify predictive biomarkers of individual response to microbiota-targeted interventions. Full article

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, and a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. It is characterized by proteinuria, mesangial expansion, glomerulosclerosis and progressive loss of renal function. Current therapeutic strategies of DN, including renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, only slow the progression of the disease rather than reversing the pathology. Therefore, there is a growing interest in identifying alternative or complementary therapeutic agents, particularly those derived from natural products with multi-targeted activities. Psoralea corylifolia Linn (PCL) is a medicinal herb commonly used in traditional Asian medicine. It has known pharmacological properties on oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis and metabolic disorders. Accumulating recent studies indicated that PCL and its bioactive compounds, such as psoralen, bakuchiol, and corylin, mitigate pathological conditions in various diseases. Here, the current review will provide our current knowledge of major identified and characterized PCL focusing on their biological activity and function, particularly in DN. Full article

Background/Objectives: Herbal medicine is one of the most widely used forms of complementary medicine worldwide. Although traditionally associated with rural populations and older generations, its use among urban adolescents and young adults and the factors associated with its use remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to evaluate herbal medicine knowledge, use, recommendation practices, and their associations with family-based recommendation, social media exposure, and previous experience using herbal medicine together with conventional medical treatment among urban adolescents and young adults in western Mexico. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 144 urban high school students in western Mexico. A structured questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic characteristics, herbal medicine knowledge, use, recommendation practices, family-based recommendation, social media exposure, and self-reported concurrent use with conventional medical treatment. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with herbal medicine use, recommendation, and self-reported knowledge. Results: Herbal medicine use was reported by 36.8% of participants, whereas 31.9% reported knowing what herbal medicine is. Family-based recommendation was independently associated with herbal medicine use (OR = 8.04; 95% CI: 2.99–21.61; p < 0.001), followed by self-reported herbal medicine knowledge (OR = 4.56; 95% CI: 1.97–10.58; p < 0.001). Recommendation behavior was independently associated with family-based recommendation (OR = 3.70; 95% CI: 1.45–9.44; p = 0.006) and previous herbal medicine use (OR = 4.16; 95% CI: 1.75–9.93; p = 0.001). Among herbal medicine users, all participants reported previous experience using herbal medicine together with conventional medical treatment, suggesting the coexistence of both therapeutic approaches within this study population. Social media exposure was associated with self-reported herbal medicine knowledge (OR = 2.97; 95% CI: 1.06–8.27; p = 0.038) but was not associated with herbal medicine use or recommendation. Conclusions: Among this study population, herbal medicine was commonly reported and appeared to be part of complementary healthcare practices among urban adolescents and young adults. Family-based recommendation was independently associated with herbal medicine use and recommendation, whereas social media exposure was associated primarily with self-reported knowledge rather than behavioral outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of considering herbal medicine use during clinical communication and adolescent health education while recognizing the coexistence of herbal and conventional healthcare practices. Full article

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by oxidative stress, cholinergic dysfunction, and amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation. Tri-Sannibat-Phol (TSB), a classical Thai polyherbal formulation comprising Piper retrofractum fruit, Ocimum tenuiflorum root, and Piper nigrum root, has been traditionally used for its medicinal properties, yet its anti-AD potential has never been scientifically evaluated. Methods: The therapeutic potential of TSB was investigated through in vitro bioassays including antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory, and anti-Aβ aggregation assays, alongside neuroprotective evaluation in H₂O₂-induced SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Acute oral toxicity was assessed in male ICR mice in accordance with OECD Guideline 420. Cognitive-enhancing effects were evaluated using the modified Y-maze, Novel Object Recognition, and Morris Water Maze tests in a scopolamine-induced amnesic mouse model. LC-MS/MS analysis was performed for phytochemical characterization and chemical standardization of the formulation. Results: TSB demonstrated significant antioxidant activity, AChE inhibitory activity, and anti-Aβ aggregation effects, with P. nigrum and O. tenuiflorum identified as the primary contributing components. Neuroprotective effects were confirmed in H₂O₂-induced SH-SY5Y cells, where TSB significantly improved cell viability across concentrations of 1–100 µg/mL. Acute oral toxicity assessment revealed an LD₅₀ exceeding 2000 mg/kg, indicating a favorable safety profile. In vivo behavioral studies demonstrated that TSB at medium-to-high doses significantly reversed scopolamine-induced cognitive deficits across all three behavioral tests. LC-MS/MS analysis identified thirteen piperidine alkaloids, with piperine as the dominant constituent at 17.61 ± 0.80% w/w, proposed as the primary bioactive driver and chemical marker for future quality standardization. Conclusions: These findings suggest that TSB exerts multi-targeted anti-AD effects through complementary mechanisms, supporting its potential as a traditional medicine-based therapeutic candidate for further preclinical and clinical investigation. Full article

Fresh phytomedicines (FPs), defined as medicinal plants used in their fresh, undried state, have long been applied in traditional medical systems worldwide and represent a diverse yet underexplored source of bioactive compounds derived from classical prescriptions, ethnomedicinal practices, and medicine–food homology plants. Increasing evidence suggests that FPs possess distinct chemical and pharmacological properties compared with dried phytomedicines (DPs), although their therapeutic value has not been systematically evaluated from a modern medical perspective. This review integrates ethnomedicinal knowledge with modern pharmacological evidence to clarify the therapeutic potential of FPs, while comparing them with DPs and evaluating their potential role as context-dependent alternatives or complementary strategies that warrant further clinical investigation. A comprehensive literature search covering the period from 1956 to January 2026 was conducted across Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, CNKI, ProQuest, and SciELO, followed by bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer 1.6.20. Available evidence indicates that FPs and DPs exhibit distinct physicochemical and pharmacological profiles. Drying enriches thermally stable constituents or leads to the formation of new compounds in DPs, whereas FPs better preserve thermosensitive and labile compounds, including polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, and volatile oils. These preserved constituents contribute to context-dependent activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and immunomodulatory effects. Although FPs offer unique therapeutic potential, their application is constrained by instability, limited standardization, inconsistent dosing, and insufficient clinical evidence, and future efforts should focus on improved preservation technologies, comprehensive quality standards, systematic dosage studies, and well-designed clinical trials to substantiate their clinical applicability and facilitate evidence-based integration into modern therapeutic frameworks. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impaired glucose metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, and progressive cognitive decline. Because currently available pharmacological therapies provide only modest symptomatic benefit, nutrition-based interventions are increasingly being explored as complementary strategies for supporting brain metabolism and cognitive resilience. The KetoFLEX 12/3 dietary pattern, developed within the ReCODE (Reversal of Cognitive Decline) program, is a plant-rich, mildly ketogenic nutrition and lifestyle framework that integrates low-glycemic nutrition, time-restricted eating, and personalized metabolic optimization. The diet emphasizes deeply pigmented non-starchy vegetables, extra-virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, omega-3-rich seafood, and minimally processed foods while limiting refined carbohydrates, sugars, processed foods, and selected grains and dairy products. Emerging mechanistic and clinical evidence suggests that KetoFLEX 12/3 may influence several pathways relevant to AD pathophysiology, including insulin signaling, mitochondrial bioenergetics, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, detoxification pathways, and gut–brain axis function. Observational findings from ReCODE-related studies have reported improvements in metabolic parameters, mood-related outcomes, cognitive measures, and brain volumetrics in participants adhering to multimodal precision-medicine interventions incorporating the KetoFLEX principles. Compared with traditional dietary models such as the Mediterranean or MIND diets, KetoFLEX 12/3 places greater emphasis on mild nutritional ketosis, meal timing, and metabolic personalization based on factors such as ApoE genotype and insulin sensitivity. The objective of this Perspective is to examine the mechanistic rationale, emerging evidence, limitations, and future research priorities for KetoFLEX 12/3 as a precision-nutrition framework for cognitive health in AD. Although much of the current evidence remains mechanistic, observational, or derived from multimodal intervention studies, the framework offers a biologically plausible precision-nutrition model that may inform future research and clinical investigation in cognitive decline. Full article

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major metabolic disorder associated with hyper-glycemia and oxidative stress. Traditional medicinal plants remain important sources of bioactive compounds with potential antidiabetic activity. Salacia reticulata and Caralluma tuberculata are two important medicinal plants that have been reported to have antidiabetic effects. The growing burden of type 2 diabetes and the need for therapies that address both hyperglycemia and oxidative stress underscore the necessity to investigate these two medicinal plants. Therefore, the current study evaluated the antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and protective effects of Salacia reticulata and Caralluma tuberculata in an alloxan-induced diabetic female rat model. Methods: Ethanolic extracts of S. reticulata and C. tuberculata were characterized by total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), DPPH radical-scavenging assay, and UPLC–MS/MS metabolite profiling. Female Wistar rats (n = 42) were randomly assigned to seven groups (n = 6/group), including normal control, diabetic control, extract-treated non-diabetic groups, diabetic extract-treated groups, and a metformin-treated diabetic group. Diabetes was induced by alloxan (130 mg/kg), followed by oral treatment for 8 days with extracts or metformin (500 mg/kg/day). Fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidant markers (SOD1, GSH, and CAT), and liver and kidney histopathology were assessed. Results: Both plant extracts significantly reduced fasting blood glucose compared with baseline, with S. reticulata showing a greater reduction (22.8%) than C. tuberculata (12.3%), and a response comparable to metformin (27.4%). Diabetic rats exhibited increased MDA and reduced antioxidant enzyme activities. C. tuberculata significantly lowered MDA levels and increased SOD1 activity, suggesting moderate antioxidant effects, whereas S. reticulata showed higher phenolic and flavonoid contents and the highest DPPH scavenging activity. UPLC–MS/MS identified 33 compounds in S. reticulata and 24 in C. tuberculata. Histopathological findings supported improvement of diabetes-associated renal and hepatic damage. Conclusions: Within the eight-day experimental period, both extracts demonstrated significant acute antidiabetic and antioxidant effects with distinct redox–metabolic profiles. However, further long-term studies are recommended to evaluate their sustained efficacy, safety, and potential as complementary therapeutic agents for diabetes management. Full article

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor remains the cornerstone of antithrombotic management after myocardial revascularization. However, the traditional “one-size-fits-all” approach to DAPT duration and intensity fails to account for marked interindividual variability in drug response—driven by genetic polymorphisms, notably CYP2C19 variants like CYP2C19*2, which reach a frequency of up to 75% in specific groups like the Melanesian population—comorbidities such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease, and dynamic clinical factors including age and concomitant medications. We examine the current landscape of precision medicine tools for individualizing DAPT, including platelet function testing, point-of-care genotyping, validated clinical risk scores, and emerging artificial intelligence (AI)–based predictive models. Evidence from landmark trials is synthesized to evaluate escalation, de-escalation, and duration-tailoring strategies within the ischemic–bleeding trade-off framework. Special populations requiring individualized approaches are reviewed, including patients with atrial fibrillation, the elderly, and those requiring urgent noncardiac surgery with perioperative bridging. Future directions, including multi-omics integration, novel antiplatelet agents, and AI-driven clinical decision support systems, are also explored. As a narrative review, conclusions should be interpreted as reflective of current evidence synthesis rather than systematic-review-grade evidence, given the absence of formal risk-of-bias scoring or meta-analytic pooling. Personalized DAPT guided by complementary genetic and phenotypic testing, integrated with dynamic risk stratification, offers a paradigm shift from empiric therapy toward precision-guided antithrombotic management with the potential to simultaneously reduce ischemic and bleeding complications. Full article

Fungal infections pose diagnostic challenges in both human and veterinary medicine, as traditional detection methods such as fungal culture are time-consuming, microscopy is operator-dependent, and molecular detection assays often require specialized instrumentation and trained personnel, which can limit their routine clinical application. This study developed a sandwich immunoassay to detect β-1,3- and β-1,6-glucans, two major components of the fungal cell wall, based on two catalytically inactive glucanase mutants, LamA_E175Q and Neg1_E321Q. The sandwich ELISA exhibited higher detection sensitivity than conventional ITS-based PCR for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans under the conditions of this study. Using pre-coated plates, the sample-processing and detection workflow can be completed in approximately 40 min. It effectively detected a wide range of fungal species, including yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans) and filamentous fungi such as dermatophytes and non-dermatophyte molds. In a preliminary clinical cohort, the assay identified β-glucan signals in all 21 samples confirmed positive for dermatophytes, while no signal was detected in 20 negative samples, suggesting potential clinical applicability. This dual-enzyme sandwich immunoassay provides a rapid and low-cost complementary tool for broad-spectrum fungal screening, which may help guide further confirmatory diagnostics and timely clinical decision-making. Full article

Dementia, and more specifically Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that has become a growing health menace in the world with an escalation in incidence as well as enormous social and economic consequences. Existing pharmacological treatment including cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists are not very effective in reducing the symptoms and fail to prevent the disease process. The non-pharmacological treatment interventions such as diet, exercise and cognitive training have supportive effects and cannot be used as standalone treatments. Therapeutic gap has resulted in increased interest in complementary and alternative therapies, especially that of pleiotropic action of herbal medicines. Bacopa monnieri (BM) is an Ayurvedic herb that has historically been used to treat memory enhancement and now has both preclinical and clinical evidence supporting its ability to modulate neurotransmission, reduce oxidative stress and suppress neuroinflammation. However, such difficulties as low bioavailability, instability of the environmental factors, and variations in formulations restrict its clinical applicability. New technologies with a lot of potential such as microencapsulation technology can provide the solution to this problem by increasing stability, solubility, and targeted delivery of compounds that will increase treatment efficacy. This narrative review is a synthesis of the existing information on the pathogenesis of dementia, therapeutic approaches, and the effectiveness of BM as a complementary intervention. It points out links between traditional medicine and modern neuroscience, strengths and limitations of on-going evidence, gaps that need further research, such as long-term clinical trials, standardized formulations, and discovery of the role of BM in the gut–brain axis. BM is a prime example of how herbal medicines can be used as a complement to conventional treatment and play a role in multi-modal approaches aimed at reducing the cognitive impairment associated with dementia. Full article

Background/Objectives: San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang (SHXXT) is a classical traditional Chinese herbal formula composed of Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Rheum palmatum, with documented anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Despite growing interest in its pharmacological potential, systematic evaluation of its gene regulatory effects across multiple cancer types remains limited. This study aimed to assess the prognostic relevance of SHXXT-regulated genes across pan-cancer contexts using publicly available transcriptomic and clinical datasets. Methods: Fifteen active compounds of SHXXT were identified from traditional Chinese medicine databases (Encyclopaedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) 2.0, Chinese Compound Medicine Database (ccTCM), and Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine Database (ITCM)). Compound-induced gene expression profiles were obtained from MCF7-based transcriptomic perturbation data in the ITCM database and integrated with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) across 24 cancer types. Survival-associated genes were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan–Meier analysis. A weighted prognostic scoring framework, supported by normalization and sensitivity analyses, was developed to prioritize cancer types according to the concordance between SHXXT-induced gene regulation and favorable prognostic patterns. Functional enrichment analysis was performed using Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), and cancer-related genes were annotated using the OncoKB database. Complementary in vitro studies, including Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) and MT-1 staining assays, were conducted in Hep3B cells using a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-certified commercial SHXXT preparation. Results: SHXXT-regulated genes were significantly enriched in cancer-related pathways, particularly the PI3K–Akt and MAPK signaling pathways. Pan-cancer analysis revealed substantial heterogeneity in prognostic alignment across cancer types. Among the 24 cancer cohorts analyzed, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) achieved the highest prognostic alignment score within the proposed framework. In KIRC, several genes, including PIK3CA, PIK3CB, KRAS, and RAF1, remained significantly associated with favorable prognostic alignment after multivariable adjustment. Pathway enrichment analysis further identified PI3K–Akt and MAPK signaling as the most significantly represented pathways among favorably aligned genes. In contrast, hepatocellular carcinoma exhibited a relatively low prognostic alignment score, consistent with in vitro observations indicating predominantly non-selective cytotoxic stress rather than cancer-specific therapeutic activity. Conclusions: SHXXT-regulated genes exhibited marked heterogeneity across cancer types, with KIRC was consistently prioritized as the top-ranked cancer type across multiple analytical scenarios, suggesting a strong concordance between SHXXT-associated gene regulation and favorable prognostic signatures. These findings represent computational predictions derived from transcriptomic and survival associations rather than direct evidence of therapeutic efficacy. The study provides a reproducible pan-cancer strategy for prioritizing candidate cancer types for future mechanistic and experimental validation of traditional Chinese medicine formulations. Full article