Page 230 - 2025中醫藥與天然藥物聯合學術研討會-中醫藥與天然藥物的挑戰Ｘ機遇與未來大會手冊

PP-47

Phellinus linteus extract reverses EMT and chemoresistance in colorectal

cancer

2
1
Yu-Jung Lin, Hema Sri Devi, Chih-Yang Huang* ,2,3,4,5

1 Department of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation,
New Taipei City, Taiwan
2 Cardiovascular and Mitochondrial Related Disease Research Center, Hualien Tzu Chi
Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan
3 Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
4 Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
5 Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung,

Taiwan
* E-mail: cyhuang@mail.cmu.edu.tw

Abstract
Cancer remains a major global health challenge due to its high incidence, mortality, and
the limitations of current chemotherapy, including drug resistance and severe side effects.
Chinese herbal medicines and mushroom extracts have attracted attention as potential
chemosensitizers and complementary therapies. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer
effects of Phellinus linteus extract (PLM) on colorectal cancer, including drug-resistant cell
lines. Our results demonstrated that PLM significantly inhibited the growth, migration, and
invasion of multidrug-resistant colorectal cancer cells. Immunofluorescence staining and
Western blot analyses revealed that PLM increased the expression of the epithelial marker E-
cadherin while reducing the mesenchymal marker Vimentin in both parental and oxaliplatin-
resistant colorectal cancer cells. Interestingly, PLM also suppressed the mRNA expression of
mesenchymal-related genes (Vimentin, FN1) and enhanced epithelial-associated genes (E-
cadherin, TJP1), suggesting a reversal of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). These
findings indicate that PLM not only exerts anti-proliferative effects but also modulates key
molecular pathways involved in metastasis and drug resistance. Moreover, our data suggest that
natural products such as PLM could modulate tumor cell plasticity and sensitize resistant
colorectal cancer cells to chemotherapy. Looking forward, integrating PLM-based or similar
natural therapeutic strategies with conventional treatments holds promise for future clinical
applications, potentially improving therapeutic response and patient outcomes.

Keywords: Phellinus linteus; Colorectal cancer; Multidrug-resistance; Epithelial–mesenchymal
transition