Cervical human papillomavirus: the therapeutic target of botanical drugs

Persistent cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the key biological event underlying high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, cervical cancer development, and recurrence risk. Botanical drugs and their bioactive metabolites have therefore attracted interest as potential adjunctive interventions, particularly because they can modulate multiple biological pathways relevant to viral persistence and clearance. This review critically synthesizes the botanical drugs and their metabolites evaluated in cervical HPV-related studies, organizing the available evidence around experimentally interpretable therapeutic outputs. The reviewed literature indicates that specific botanical drugs are associated with the suppression of HPV oncogene expression, the disruption of viral DNA maintenance, and the modulation of critical host responses. However, the current evidence remains heterogeneous and is fundamentally limited by incomplete phytochemical characterization, variable experimental model relevance, insufficient pharmacokinetic data, and an overreliance on simplified preclinical systems. Overall, current findings support the pharmacological relevance of selected botanical drugs in persistence-related cervical HPV biology, but they do not yet establish consistent clinical efficacy. Future research should prioritize standardized botanical formulations, genotype-stratified study designs, persistence-relevant biomarkers, and durable virological and lesion-related outcomes to improve translational value.