HuaChanSu (bufo bufo gargarizans) is a

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

extracted from the skin of toads from the genus ''

Bufo ''Bufo'' is a genus of true toads in the amphibian family Bufonidae. As traditionally defined, it was a wastebasket genus containing a large number of toads from much of the world but following taxonomic reviews most of these have been moved to ...

'' that is believed by some to slow the spread of cancerous cells. The

parotoid gland The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of some frogs (especially toads), and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known ...

of toads of the ''Bufo'' genus secrete a venom, which is dried and dissolved in water. This solution, HuaChanSu, is injected into a cancerous area and targets specific cancer cells. HuaChanSu is undergoing further trials, and its effect is not completely understood.

Background

HuaChanSu had been used in China as a therapy for cancer for over 1000 years and over time spread to other Asian countries. In 1991, HuaChanSu was accepted by China as an official cancer treatment. Even then, the treatment's effectiveness and toxicity levels were still at question due to the lack of consistent scientific evidence.

Bufo toad

is a group of over 150 species of toads. Nearly all of these species contain a venom in their skin called

bufotoxin Bufotoxins are a family of toxic steroid lactones or substituted Substituted tryptamine, tryptamines of which some are toxic. They occur in the parotoid glands, skin, and poison of many toads (True toad, Bufonidae family) and other amphibians, an ...

which is a naturally a mild

hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...

. They also contain the poison

bufotenin Bufotenin, also known as dimethylserotonin or as 5-hydroxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (5-HO-DMT), is a serotonergic psychedelic of the tryptamine family. It is a derivative of the psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and of the neurotransmi ...

which is another toxin used in HuaChanSu. Bufo toads can live under very adverse conditions resulting in its inhabitance in nearly every continent; its ability to survive makes it a desired source for cancer cure studies.

Specific molecular process

The molecules in HuaChanSu include the

cardiac glycoside Cardiac glycosides are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump. Their beneficial medical uses include treatments for ...

s bufalin,

cinobufagin Cinobufagin is a cardiotoxic bufanolide steroid secreted by the Asiatic toad ''Bufo gargarizans''. It has similar effects to digitalis and is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Isolation and purification Cinobufagin, as well as other bufadi ...

, cinobufotalin and resibufogenin. These molecules are effective due to their lipid-soluble characteristic, which helps them remain in the body longer; they slow the growth of cancer cells and induce cell cycle arrest. More specifically, these molecules suppress the protein

Bcl-2 Bcl-2, encoded in humans by the ''BCL2'' gene, is the founding member of the Bcl-2 family of regulator proteins. BCL2 blocks programmed cell death (apoptosis) while other BCL2 family members can either inhibit or induce it. It was the first a ...

, which is a cancer-prone

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

protein, and induce cell death upon BRO (

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

) cells.

Trials

Since the 1970s, clinical trials for HuaChanSu had been held in Chin

ref name="news-medical" /> The clinical trials showed between 10% and 16% decrease in lung cancer masses. At first, the United States was reluctant to invest in the study of HuaChanSu, but in 2005, trials were administered by Americans who applied doses that were eight times larger than those from the Chinese trials. These trials resulted with 40% of lung and liver cancer patients having tumors stabilized. Although no significant change was made in tumor sizes, the quality of life of the patients with stabilized tumors improved, evaluated by M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI). However,
Efficacy and Safety of Huachansu as an Adjuvant Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
in 2024 has concluded that research that were fully reported according the PRISMA checklist was only 50%, and majority of publications had a risk of bias according to the Systematic review#Poor compliance with review reporting guidelines, ROBIS.

Toxicity and side effects

The toxicity levels of HuaChanSu were also recorded and studied during the various trials. The toad venom was found to have grade 1 and 2 toxicity levels in majority of the injected areas. No toxicity greater than grade 2 was observed and the effects subsided within a month. These side effects included

thrombocytopenia In hematology, thrombocytopenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of platelets (also known as thrombocytes) in the blood. Low levels of platelets in turn may lead to prolonged or excessive bleeding. It is the most common coag ...

, diarrhea,

mouth ulcers A mouth ulcer (aphtha), or sometimes called a canker sore or salt blister, is an ulcer that occurs on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. Mouth ulcers are very common, occurring in association with many diseases and by many different mechanis ...

, and

myalgia Myalgia or muscle pain is a painful sensation evolving from muscle tissue. It is a symptom of many diseases. The most common cause of acute myalgia is the overuse of a muscle or group of muscles; another likely cause is viral infection, espec ...

References

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