What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim was to investigate the role of Atractylodes macrocephala polysaccharides in regulating innate immunity in colorectal cancer cells via TLR4 signaling.

June 21, 2026Open Access

Atractylodes Macrocephala Polysaccharides Regulate the Innate Immunity of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Modulating the TLR4 Signaling Pathway Retraction

Key Points

The aim was to investigate the role of Atractylodes macrocephala polysaccharides in regulating innate immunity in colorectal cancer cells via TLR4 signaling.
Data integrity concerns raised regarding western blot analyses during post-publication review.
Comparison with other studies revealed significant similarities in unpublished data leading to controversy.
Retraction requested by authors and supported by the journal after further investigation.
The article was retracted due to substantial integrity issues with the reported results related to western blot data.
Concerns arose from unexpected similarities in figures compared to different samples from other studies.
Digital watermarking added to the retracted article to clarify its status in the scholarly record.

Abstract

Feng Z, Yang R, Wu L, et al. Onco Targets Ther. 2019;12:71117121. https://doi.org/10.2147/OTT.S219623 We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal OncoTargets and Therapy, have retracted the published article. After publication, concerns have been raised by a third party in 2025 about the integrity of the data in Figure 3 of the article. Subsequently, the authors contacted the journal in March 2026 requesting the retraction of the article. Further investigation conducted by the Journal and Publisher confirmed significant integrity concerns present in the Western blot data due to: Unexpected similarities between Figure 3A of the article and Figure 2D of the following previously published article that is representative of different samples and treatment conditions. This article is from from an related author group: Zhou L, Zhang Y, Sampath D, et al. Flavopiridol enhances ABT-199 sensitivity in unfavourable-risk multiple myeloma cells in vitro and in vivo. Br J Cancer 2018;118:388397. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2017.432 Unexpected similarities between Figures 3A and 4C of the article, and Western blot data shown in the following articles, that are representative of different samples and treatment conditions. These articles are from unrelated author groups, and were published contemporaneously: Xu J, Huang F, Yao Z, et al. Inhibition of cyclin E1 sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to regorafenib by mcl-1 suppression. Cell Commun Signal 2019;17:85. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-019-0398-3 Zhao H, Chen G, Liang H. Dual PI3K/mTOR Inhibitor, XL765, suppresses glioblastoma growth by inducing ER stress-dependent apoptosis. Onco Targets Ther. 2019;12:5415-5424. https://doi.org/10.2147/OTT.S210128 Fu Q, Lu Z, Fu X, Ma S, Lu X. MicroRNA 27b promotes cardiac fibrosis by targeting the FBW7/Snail pathway. Aging (Albany NY). 2019;11:11865-11879. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.102465 As the authors have raised significant concerns about the reliability of the data presented in the article, and the Journal and Publisher also have very significant concerns about the integrity of the reported results, all parties have agreed to retract the article to ensure correction of the scholarly record.We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines.The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as Retracted.

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