Astaxanthin Augmented the Anti‐Hepatocellular Carcinoma Efficacy of Sorafenib Through the Inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathway and Mitigation of Hypoxia within the Tumor Microenvironment

Scope The optimization of anti‐cancer drug effectiveness through dietary modifications has garnered significant attention among researchers in recent times. Astaxanthin (AST) has been identified as a safe and biologically active dietary supplement. Methods and results The tumor‐bearing mice are treated with sorafenib, along with supplementation of 60 mg kg −1 AST during the treatment. The coadministration of AST and a subclinical dosage of 10 mg kg −1 sorafenib demonstrates a tumor inhibition rate of 76.5%, which is notably superior to the 45% inhibition rate observed with the clinical dosage of 30 mg kg −1 sorafenib ( p < 0.05). The administration of AST leads to a tumor inhibition increase of around 25% when combined with the clinical dose of 30 mg kg −1 sorafenib ( p <0.05). AST enhances the inhibitory effect of sorafenib on tumor angiogenesis through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Furthermore, AST exhibits a reduction in hypoxia within the tumor microenvironment. Conclusion The results suggest that AST supplement enhances the inhibitory effects of sorafenib on hepatocellular carcinoma. This study presents a new dietary management program for oncology patients.