Prunella vulgaris seed oil alleviates cancer related fatigue through hypothalamic inflammation and CRH regulation

Wu, Changyu and Hu, Qing and Han, Mingzhi and Peng, Yuhan and Zhang, Chengyu and Wu, Zhangjie and Liu, Ruiyi and Xing, Shan and Yin, Ying and Deli, Mária Anna and Zhang, Hailou and Chen, Gang (2025) Prunella vulgaris seed oil alleviates cancer related fatigue through hypothalamic inflammation and CRH regulation. NPJ SCIENCE OF FOOD, 9 (1). No. 194. ISSN 2396-8370

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Abstract

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom in cancer patients, affecting their quality of life. Prunella vulgaris and its seed oil (PVSO) are edible-medicinal foods with bioactive compounds that may alleviate CRF. The present study aimed to test the effects of PVSO on CRF and underlying mechanisms. We found PVSO improved fatigue-like behaviors in both LPS-induced and tumor-bearing models. In the breast cancer tumor-bearing animals, PVSO reduced tumor growth, and suppressed serum and hypothalamic inflammatory cytokines ( TNF-α, IL-1β , and IL-6 ) and NF-κB signaling. Furthermore, the hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression and serum CRH/cortisol levels dampened in tumor-bearing animals were normalized by PVSO. Our results suggest that PVSO exhibits potent anti-CRF effects likely via attenuation of cancer-induced hypothalamic inflammation and subsequent normalization of the dysregulated HPA axis. PVSO may be developed as a functional food for breast cancer-related fatigue.

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