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Preclinical studies indicate that APS exerts significant anti-liver cancer effects through multiple biological actions, including the promotion of apoptosis, inhibition of proliferation, suppression of epithelial\u2013mesenchymal transition, regulation of autophagy, and modulation of immune responses. These therapeutic effects are closely associated with the regulation of critical signalling pathways, such as PI3K\/AKT\/mTOR, Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin, JAK\/STAT, and TGF-\u03b2\/Smad. APS also reshapes the tumour microenvironment by enhancing macrophage activity, reducing the regulatory T cell function, and improving host immune response. In addition, APS exhibits synergistic effects when combined with conventional chemotherapeutics and interventional treatments such as transarterial chemoembolisation, improving efficacy and reducing toxicity. Despite the robust experimental evidence, limitations such as low bioavailability and a lack of large-scale clinical trials remain challenges for clinical translation. This review summarises the recent advances in understanding the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activities of APS, their molecular targets and potential applications, aiming to provide a scientific basis for future studies and the development of APS-based therapeutic strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules30132792","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T11:37:51Z","timestamp":1751283471000},"page":"2792","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Recent Advances in the Mechanisms and Applications of Astragalus Polysaccharides in Liver Cancer Treatment: An Overview"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"30","author":[{"given":"Wang","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical College of Basic Sciences, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154000, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases of Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanting","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-8577-9875","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Akanksha","family":"Sen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Science, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich, Medway Campus Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pengxia","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical College of Basic Sciences, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154000, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases of Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5169-2527","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Linhong","family":"Yuan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5214-2973","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shaobo","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Science, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich, Medway Campus Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2455539","DOI":"10.1080\/07853890.2025.2455539","article-title":"Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma: An umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"57","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ann. 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