{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T19:53:11Z","timestamp":1787860391206,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759881600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Taoyuan Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital","award":["TVGH-11401"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TVGH-11401"]}]},{"name":"Taoyuan Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital","award":["NSTC 113-2320-B-075-012)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NSTC 113-2320-B-075-012)"]}]},{"name":"Renal Care Research and Health Promotion Association","award":["TVGH-11401"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TVGH-11401"]}]},{"name":"Renal Care Research and Health Promotion Association","award":["NSTC 113-2320-B-075-012)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NSTC 113-2320-B-075-012)"]}]},{"name":"National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan","award":["TVGH-11401"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TVGH-11401"]}]},{"name":"National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan","award":["NSTC 113-2320-B-075-012)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NSTC 113-2320-B-075-012)"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading global health challenge, and natural products are increasingly explored for their multi-targeted therapeutic potential. Litchi chinensis seed extract (LCSE) has shown promising anti-cancer activity in vitro, though its in vivo effects remain underexplored. LCSE was analyzed by colorimetric assays and HPLC to quantify the phytochemical composition. Nude mice bearing HT-29 or SW480 xenografts were orally administered LCSE (0.1 or 0.6 g\/kg) daily for 14 days. Tumor volume was measured, and immunohistochemistry was used to assess EGFR, p21, p53, Ki-67, CEA, CK20, CDX2, and Bax expression. Phytochemical profiling demonstrated LCSE contains abundant phenolics and flavonoids, with gallic acid as a predominant constituent, underscoring the potential bioactive properties. LCSE significantly inhibited tumor growth in HT-29 xenografts and dose-dependently reduced EGFR, p21, p53, cell cycle proteins and proliferation\/differentiation markers. In SW480 tumors, inhibitory effects were evident primarily at the higher dose, with limited reduction in p53 expression. Bax levels remained unchanged in both models, indicating a non-apoptotic mechanism. No systemic toxicity was observed in treated mice. LCSE exhibits dose-dependent anti-tumor activity in CRC xenografts, likely mediated through suppression of proliferation and modulation of key regulatory proteins rather than apoptosis. These findings support LCSE as a safe, multi-target botanical candidate for CRC intervention and justify further mechanistic and translational studies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26199786","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T12:04:52Z","timestamp":1759925092000},"page":"9786","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Lychee Seed Extract Targets Proliferation, Differentiation, and Cell Cycle Proteins to Suppress Human Colorectal Tumor Growth in Xenograft Models"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6091-0263","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Szu-Nian","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan 330023, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Oral Hygiene, Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Miaoli 356006, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi-Ping","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan 330023, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Healthcare Information and Management, Taoyuan Campus, Ming Chuan University, Taoyuan 333321, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oscar C. Y.","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan 330023, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chi-Sheng","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Renal Care Research and Health Promotion Association, New Taipei City 220050, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiu-Chen","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Post-Baccalaureate Veterinary Medicine, Asia University, Taichung 413305, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9903-7473","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jia-Feng","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan 330023, Taiwan"},{"name":"Renal Care Research and Health Promotion Association, New Taipei City 220050, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300102, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chia-Ming","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan 330023, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shun-Tai","family":"Dai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300150, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lung","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300150, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chih-Ping","family":"Hsu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300150, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"209","article-title":"Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries","volume":"71","author":"Sung","year":"2021","journal-title":"CA A Cancer J. 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