Publication Name	World Journal of Psychiatry
Manuscript ID	115981
Country	China

Category	Oncology
Manuscript Type	Meta-Analysis
Article Title	Chinese herbal formulas alleviated depression in breast cancer patients: A meta-analysis, network pharmacology and experimental validation
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Shi-Cui Hong, Yu-Yi Du, Gui-Bin Wang, Sheng-Qi Wang, Yi-Feng Zheng, Neng Wang, Hong-Lin Situ and Zhi-Yu Wang
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number National Natural Science Foundation of China 82374446, 82174165, 82474512 State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine SZ2021ZZ19 Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province 2022B1515230002, 2023B1212060063 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Lab on Chinese Medicine and Immune Disease Research 2020B1212030006 Guangzhou Science and Technology Project 2025CX009, 2023A03J0236 Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau Project 20231143 Specific Research Fund for CHF Science and Technology of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine YN2023MS31
Corresponding Author	Zhi-Yu Wang, Full Professor, Principal Investigator, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 111 Dade Road, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China. wangzhiyu@gzucm.edu.cn
Key Words	Meta-analysis; Traditional Chinese medicine; Breast cancer; Depression; Si-Ni-San
Core Tip	In present study, we found that Chinese herbal formulas outperformed antidepressants in reducing depression and improving quality of life, significantly elevated monoamine neurotransmitter levels, and selectively increased CD4+ T-cell counts. Network pharmacology revealed that Si-Ni-San may modulate immune responses and serotonergic synapses, while experimental validation indicated involvement of CD4+ T cells and rebalancing of neurotransmitter, tryptophan metabolism. These results advocate for the integration of Chinese herbal formulas especially Si-Ni-San into integrative care protocols for breast cancer-related depression and underscore the need for further mechanistic and clinical investigation.
Citation	Hong SC, Du YY, Wang GB, Wang SQ, Zheng YF, Wang N, Situ HL, Wang ZY. Chinese herbal formulas alleviated depression in breast cancer patients: A meta-analysis, network pharmacology and experimental validation. World J Psychiatry 2026; In press

Received	2025-10-31 07:08
Peer-Review Started	2025-10-31 07:08
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2025-12-11 07:44
Return for Revision	2025-12-11 07:44
Revised	2025-12-16 15:17
Publication Fee Transferred	2025-12-20 10:38
Second Decision by Editor	2026-01-15 02:37
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-01-15 08:28
Articles in Press	2026-01-15 08:28
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Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2220-3206 (online)
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