Astaxanthin Augmented the Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Efficacy of Sorafenib Through the Inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathway and Mitigation of Hypoxia within the Tumor Microenvironment

ScopeThe optimization of anti-cancer drug effectiveness through dietary modifications has garnered significant attention among researchers in recent times. Astaxanthin (AST) has been identified as a safe and biologically active dietary supplement.Methods and resultsThe tumor-bearing mice are treated with sorafenib, along with supplementation of 60 mg kg(-1) AST during the treatment. The coadministration of AST and a subclinical dosage of 10 mg kg(-1) sorafenib demonstrates a tumor inhibition rate of 76.5%, which is notably superior to the 45% inhibition rate observed with the clinical dosage of 30 mg kg(-1) sorafenib (p < 0.05). The administration of AST leads to a tumor inhibition increase of around 25% when combined with the clinical dose of 30 mg kg(-1) sorafenib (p <0.05). AST enhances the inhibitory effect of sorafenib on tumor angiogenesis through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Furthermore, AST exhibits a reduction in hypoxia within the tumor microenvironment.ConclusionThe results suggest that AST supplement enhances the inhibitory effects of sorafenib on hepatocellular carcinoma. This study presents a new dietary management program for oncology patients.