Shikonin / eff Cancer Research Results

SK, Shikonin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
The (R)-enantiomer of alkannin is known as shikonin, and the racemic mixture of the two is known as shikalkin.
Shikonin is a naphthoquinone derivative primarily isolated from the roots of plants in the Boraginaceae family (e.g., Lithospermum erythrorhizon).
Shikonin is the main active component of a Chinese medicinal plant 'Zi Cao'
-Shikonin is a major component of zicao (purple gromwell, the dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon), a Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory properties
-Quinone methides (QMs) are highly reactive intermediates formed from natural compounds like shikonin
-ic50 cancer cells 1-10uM, normal cells >10uM

-known as Glycolysis inhibitor: ( inhibit pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2*******), a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway)

Available from mcsformulas.com Shikonin Pro Liposomal, 30 mg
Also In Glycolysis Inhibithree(100 mg PHLORIZIN,10 mg TANSHINONE IIA, 8 mg Shikonin)

-Note half-life15-30mins or 8hr?.
BioAv low, poor water solubility
Pathways:
- usually induce ROS production in cancer cells, and reduce ROS in normal cells.
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓,
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓, TrxR↓**, SOD↓, GSH↓ Catalase↓ GPx4↓
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : NLRP3↓, IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, IGF-1↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, ERK↓, JNK, P53↑,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells
Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance
1 PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis (Warburg metabolism) ↓ Energy / biomass restriction Key, repeatedly reported mechanism: shikonin suppresses PKM2 activity and PKM2-driven glycolysis in multiple tumor models, with downstream growth inhibition and apoptosis
2 ROS accumulation / oxidative stress ↑ ROS Redox overload Common upstream trigger that drives mitochondrial dysfunction and regulated cell death programs; often precedes necroptosis/apoptosis signaling
3 Necroptosis core cascade (RIPK1 → RIPK3 → MLKL) ↑ Programmed necrotic cell death Strong evidence across cancers (e.g., leukemia and nasopharyngeal carcinoma): shikonin increases RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL expression/activation; necroptosis inhibitors can blunt the effect
4 Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm) ↓ Mitochondrial dysfunction ROS-linked depolarization; acts as a pivot into intrinsic apoptosis and other death programs
5 Intrinsic apoptosis (BAX/BAK → Caspase-9/3) ↑ Programmed cell death Frequently observed; often framed as ROS → mitochondrial damage → caspase-dependent apoptosis
6 PKM2/STAT3 signaling axis ↓ Reduced survival & proliferation signaling In ESCC and related models, shikonin suppresses PKM2-driven glycolysis and down-modulates STAT3 pathway activity
7 NF-κB pathway ↓ Reduced pro-survival transcription Reported as part of multi-target suppression of inflammatory/anti-apoptotic programs in several tumor models and reviews
8 PI3K–AKT (± mTOR) ↓ Growth & resistance pathway inhibition Often described as sensitizing cells to apoptosis/TRAIL; may be secondary to oxidative stress and metabolic collapse
9 Stress MAPKs (JNK / p38) ↑ Pro-death stress signaling Common downstream response to ROS; can reinforce apoptosis and other death outcomes
10 Ferroptosis-related axis (lipid peroxidation; GPX4) ↑ lipid perox / ↓ GPX4 Iron-dependent oxidative death Reported prominently for acetylshikonin (a shikonin derivative): ROS-associated lipid peroxidation with reduced GPX4 expression alongside RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL activation
11 Endoplasmic reticulum stress (UPR / ERS) ↑ Proteotoxic stress signaling Frequently mentioned in leukemia-focused mechanism summaries and broader reviews as contributory to growth arrest and death
12 Multiple regulated death programs (apoptosis / necroptosis / ferroptosis / pyroptosis) ↑ (context-dependent) Broader cell-death engagement Recent reviews emphasize that shikonin can engage several programmed cell death modalities depending on cell context and dosing
Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis (Warburg metabolism) ↓ PKM2 activity / ↓ glycolysis Energy & biomass restriction Demonstrates shikonin (and analogs) inhibit cancer glycolysis, reducing glucose consumption/lactate production via PKM2 targeting (ref)
2 PKM2 → STAT3 signaling axis ↓ PKM2-driven signaling / ↓ STAT3 pathway Reduced survival & proliferation ESCC study: shikonin suppresses PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis and regulates PKM2/STAT3 signaling (ref)
3 Necroptosis (RIPK1 → RIPK3 → MLKL) ↑ RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL Programmed necrotic cell death Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: shikonin induces necroptosis with upregulation of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL (with ROS involvement) (ref)
4 ROS accumulation ↑ ROS Oxidative stress trigger Colon cancer model: shikonin increases intracellular ROS; ROS functions upstream of apoptosis (ref)
5 Mitochondrial apoptosis (Caspase-9/3) ↑ Caspase-9/3 Programmed cell death Same colon cancer study shows shikonin increases caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity (mitochondria-mediated apoptosis) (ref)
6 ER stress / UPR (PERK → eIF2α → CHOP) ↑ Proteotoxic stress apoptosis signaling Colon cancer: shikonin-induced apoptosis mediated by PERK/eIF2α/CHOP ER-stress pathway (ref)
7 Autophagic flux (autophagosome–lysosome completion) ↓ autophagic flux (blocked) ROS + apoptosis amplification Colorectal cancer: shikonin induces ROS and apoptosis by inhibiting autophagic flux (ref)
8 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity Reduced pro-survival transcription Pancreatic cancer xenograft/mechanistic study: shikonin suppresses NF-κB activity and NF-κB–regulated gene products (ref)
9 PI3K–AKT–mTOR (stemness / chemoresistance axis) ↓ PI3K/AKT/mTOR Reduced survival & stemness Chemoresistant lung cancer CSC context: shikonin attenuates PI3K–Akt–mTOR pathway and reduces cancer stemness (ref)
10 Cell cycle control (p21; G2/M arrest) ↑ p21 / ↑ G2/M arrest Proliferation block Gastric cancer (AGS): shikonin induces cell-cycle arrest linked to p21 regulation (ref)
11 Invasion / metastasis programs (NF-κB-linked) ↓ invasion Anti-invasive phenotype Reports shikonin inhibits tumor invasion via down-regulation of NF-κB–related mechanisms in a high-metastatic tumor model (ref)
12 Chemosensitization via glycolysis suppression ↓ glycolysis / ↑ cisplatin sensitivity Combination benefit NSCLC: shikonin inhibits glycolysis and sensitizes cells to cisplatin (explicitly connecting metabolic suppression to chemosensitization) (ref)


eff, efficacy: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Power to enhance an anti cancer effect
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2230- SK,    Shikonin induces ROS-based mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in colon cancer
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCG↓, Bcl-2↓, ROS↑, Bcl-xL↓, MMP↓, Casp↑, selectivity↑, cycD1/CCND1↓, TumCCA↑, eff↓,
2229- SK,    Shikonin induces apoptosis and prosurvival autophagy in human melanoma A375 cells via ROS-mediated ER stress and p38 pathways
- in-vitro, Melanoma, A375
Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, TumCP↓, TumCCA↑, P21↑, cycD1/CCND1↓, ER Stress↑, p‑eIF2α↑, CHOP↑, cl‑Casp3↑, p38↑, LC3B-II↑, Beclin-1↑, ROS↑, eff↓,
2228- SK,    Shikonin induced Apoptosis Mediated by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Colorectal Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vitro, CRC, HCT15 - in-vivo, NA, NA
Apoptosis↑, Bcl-2↓, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, cl‑PARP↑, GRP78/BiP↑, PERK↑, eIF2α↑, ATF4↑, CHOP↑, JNK↑, eff↓, ER Stress↑, ROS↑, TumCG↓,
2227- SK,    Shikonin induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and enhances chemotherapeutic sensitivity of gastric cancer through reactive oxygen species
- in-vitro, GC, BGC-823 - in-vitro, GC, SGC-7901 - in-vitro, Nor, GES-1
selectivity↑, TumCP↓, TumCD↑, ROS↑, MMP↓, Casp↑, Cyt‑c↑, Endon↑, AIF↑, eff↓, ChemoSen↑, TumCCA↑, GSH/GSSG↓, lipid-P↑,
2226- SK,    Shikonin, a Chinese plant-derived naphthoquinone, induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through reactive oxygen species: A potential new treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma
- in-vitro, HCC, HUH7 - in-vitro, HCC, Bel-7402
selectivity↑, ROS↑, eff↓, Akt↓, RIP1↓, NF-kB↓,
5100- SK,    Shikonin-induced necroptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via ROS overproduction and upregulation of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL expression
- vitro+vivo, NPC, NA
TumCP↓, RIP1↑, ROS↑, Necroptosis↑, Casp3↑, Casp8↑, eff↓, TumCG↓,
3047- SK,    Shikonin suppresses colon cancer cell growth and exerts synergistic effects by regulating ADAM17 and the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vitro, CRC, SW48
TumCG↓, p‑STAT3↓, ADAM17↓, Apoptosis↑, Casp3↑, cl‑PARP↑, cycD1/CCND1↓, cycE/CCNE↓, TumCCA↑, JAK1?, p‑JAK1↓, p‑JAK2↓, p‑eIF2α↑, eff↓, ROS↑, IL6↓,
2469- SK,    Shikonin induces the apoptosis and pyroptosis of EGFR-T790M-mutant drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancer cells via the degradation of cyclooxygenase-2
- in-vitro, Lung, H1975
Apoptosis↑, Pyro↑, Casp↑, cl‑PARP↑, GSDME↑, ROS↑, COX2↓, PDK1↓, Akt↓, ERK↓, eff↓, eff↓, eff↑,
2186- SK,    Shikonin differentially regulates glucose metabolism via PKM2 and HIF1α to overcome apoptosis in a refractory HCC cell line
- in-vitro, HCC, HepG2 - in-vitro, HCC, HCCLM3
Glycolysis↓, PKM2↓, Apoptosis↑, ROS↑, OXPHOS⇅, eff↓,
2010- SK,    Shikonin inhibits gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer by inhibiting TrxR and activating the EGFR proteasomal degradation pathway
- in-vitro, Lung, H1975 - in-vitro, Lung, H1650 - in-vitro, Nor, CCD19
EGFR↓, selectivity↑, Casp↑, PARP↑, Apoptosis↑, ROS↑, eff↓, selectivity↑,
2008- SK,  Cisplatin,    Enhancement of cisplatin-induced colon cancer cells apoptosis by shikonin, a natural inducer of ROS in vitro and in vivo
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vivo, NA, NA
ChemoSen↑, selectivity↑, i-ROS↑, DNAdam↑, MMP↓, TumCCA↑, eff↓, *toxicity↓,
2188- SK,    Molecular mechanism of shikonin inhibiting tumor growth and potential application in cancer treatment
- Review, Var, NA
ROS↑, EGFR↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, angioG↓, Apoptosis↑, Necroptosis↑, GSH↓, Ca+2↓, MMP↓, ERK↓, p38↑, proCasp3↑, eff↓, VEGF↓, FOXO3↑, EGR1↑, SIRT1↑, RIP1↑, RIP3↑, BioAv↓, NF-kB↓, Half-Life↓,
1344- SK,    Novel multiple apoptotic mechanism of shikonin in human glioma cells
- in-vitro, GBM, U87MG - in-vitro, GBM, Hs683 - in-vitro, GBM, M059K
ROS↑, GSH↓, MMP↓, P53↑, cl‑PARP↑, Catalase↓, SOD1↑, Bcl-2↓, BAX↑, eff↓,
2217- SK,    Shikonin Inhibits Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Apoptosis to Attenuate Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Activating the Sirt1/Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway
- in-vivo, Nor, NA - in-vitro, Nor, HK-2
*ER Stress↓, *SIRT1↑, *NRF2↑, *HO-1↑, *eff↓, *RenoP↑, *GRP78/BiP↓, *CHOP↓, *Casp12↓, *BAX↓, *cl‑Casp3↓,
2215- SK,  doxoR,    Shikonin alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity via Mst1/Nrf2 pathway in mice
- in-vivo, Nor, NA
*cardioP↑, *ROS↓, *Inflam↓, *Mst1↓, *NRF2↑, *eff↓, *antiOx↑, *SOD↑, *GSH↑, *TNF-α↓, BAX↓, Bcl-2↑,
2213- SK,    Shikonin attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury via inhibiting NOD2/RIP2/NF-κB-mediated microglia polarization and neuroinflammation
- in-vivo, Stroke, NA
*neuroP↑, *Inflam↓, *iNOS↓, *TNF-α↓, *IL1β↓, *IL6↓, *ARG↑, *TGF-β↑, *IL10↑, *NF-kB↓, *eff↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 16 of 16

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 16

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Catalase↓, 1,   GSH↓, 2,   GSH/GSSG↓, 1,   lipid-P↑, 1,   OXPHOS⇅, 1,   ROS↑, 12,   i-ROS↑, 1,   SOD1↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

AIF↑, 1,   MMP↓, 5,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Glycolysis↓, 1,   PDK1↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 1,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 3,   Apoptosis↑, 7,   BAX↓, 1,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 3,   Bcl-2↑, 1,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   Casp↑, 4,   Casp3↑, 3,   cl‑Casp3↑, 1,   proCasp3↑, 1,   Casp8↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   Endon↑, 1,   GSDME↑, 1,   JNK↑, 1,   Necroptosis↑, 2,   p38↑, 2,   Pyro↑, 1,   RIP1↓, 1,   RIP1↑, 2,   TumCD↑, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

CHOP↑, 2,   eIF2α↑, 1,   p‑eIF2α↑, 2,   ER Stress↑, 2,   GRP78/BiP↑, 1,   PERK↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

Beclin-1↑, 1,   LC3B-II↑, 1,   TumAuto↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 1,   P53↑, 1,   PARP↑, 1,   cl‑PARP↑, 4,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

cycD1/CCND1↓, 3,   cycE/CCNE↓, 1,   P21↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 5,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ERK↓, 2,   FOXO3↑, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   p‑STAT3↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 4,  

Migration ⓘ

Ca+2↓, 1,   RIP3↑, 1,   TumCP↓, 3,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,   ATF4↑, 1,   EGFR↓, 2,   EGR1↑, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   JAK1?, 1,   p‑JAK1↓, 1,   p‑JAK2↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 2,  

Cellular Microenvironment ⓘ

ADAM17↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 2,   eff↓, 14,   eff↑, 1,   Half-Life↓, 1,   selectivity↑, 6,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

EGFR↓, 2,   IL6↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 82

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 1,   GSH↑, 1,   HO-1↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 2,   ROS↓, 1,   SOD↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

BAX↓, 1,   Casp12↓, 1,   cl‑Casp3↓, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

CHOP↓, 1,   ER Stress↓, 1,   GRP78/BiP↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

Mst1↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

ARG↑, 1,   TGF-β↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

IL10↑, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 2,   NF-kB↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 2,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

eff↓, 3,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cardioP↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 1,   toxicity↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 29

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: eff, efficacy
16 Shikonin
1 Cisplatin
1 doxorubicin
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells

Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:150  Target#:961  State#:%  Dir#:1
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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