salinomycin / LDH Cancer Research Results

Sal, salinomycin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Salinomycin is a polyether ionophore antibiotic that is produced by the bacterium Streptomyces albus. It was first isolated in 1979 and has been found to have a range of biological activities, including antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer properties.
It has been shown to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in a range of cancer cell lines, including breast, lung, and colon cancer cells. Salinomycin has also been found to inhibit the growth of cancer stem cells.
Salinomycin, a widely used antibiotic in poultry farming
Actions:
-Strong activity against cancer stem cells
-Disrupts mitochondrial ion gradients → ROS
-Non-thiol, non-NRF2 dominant

Key pathways
-Mitochondrial K⁺ dysregulation
-ROS-mediated apoptosis
-Wnt/β-catenin inhibition

Chemo relevance
-Generally compatible or synergistic
-Not a redox buffer

Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 K+ ionophore activity / ionic homeostasis ↑ K+ transport (ionophore) / ↓ intracellular K+ homeostasis Electrochemical disruption Salinomycin is directly described as a potassium ionophore in mechanistic studies of its anticancer effects (ref)
2 Cancer stem cell (CSC) fraction / stemness programs ↓ CSC proportion / tumor-initiating capacity Selective CSC depletion Landmark study showing salinomycin strongly reduces CSC proportion (e.g., >100-fold vs paclitaxel in their assay context) and inhibits tumor growth in vivo (ref)
3 Wnt/β-catenin signaling ↓ Loss of self-renewal signaling Primary mechanistic paper identifying salinomycin as an inhibitor of the Wnt signaling cascade (ref)
4 Wnt co-receptor LRP6 (Wnt pathway control point) ↓ LRP6 / ↓ Wnt signaling Wnt pathway suppression Shows salinomycin suppresses LRP6 expression at concentrations relevant to growth inhibition, linking activity to Wnt/β-catenin suppression (ref)
5 Autophagic flux + lysosomal proteolysis ↓ autophagic flux (blocked) / ↓ lysosomal proteolytic activity Abortive autophagy / stress accumulation Demonstrates salinomycin blocks autophagic flux and lysosomal proteolytic activity in breast cancer CSC and non-CSC populations (ref)
6 ER stress / UPR (ATF4 → CHOP/DDIT3) ↑ ER stress / ↑ CHOP axis Proteotoxic stress signaling Shows salinomycin stimulates ER stress and mediates autophagy through the ATF4–CHOP–TRIB3 axis (ref)
7 AKT–mTOR survival signaling (via TRIB3) ↓ AKT / ↓ mTOR signaling Reduced survival + altered autophagy control Same mechanistic work links ER stress activation to TRIB3-mediated inhibition of AKT1–mTOR signaling after salinomycin exposure (ref)
8 ROS generation and ROS-linked lysosomal dysfunction ↑ ROS Oxidative stress amplification Demonstrates salinomycin-induced ROS and connects ROS to lysosomal membrane permeability and impaired autophagy flux (ref)
9 Mitochondrial apoptosis (caspase cascade) ↑ Caspase-9/3 activation Programmed cell death Shows salinomycin triggers caspase-dependent apoptosis involving caspases (including 9 and 3) in a salinomycin toxicity/mechanism study (demonstrates directionality for caspase activation) (ref)
10 EMT phenotype ↑ E-cadherin / ↓ vimentin (EMT suppressed) Reduced migration/invasion Reports salinomycin increases epithelial markers and decreases mesenchymal markers in a dose-dependent manner, with reduced migration/invasion (ref)
11 ABC transporter–mediated multidrug resistance ↓ functional MDR phenotype Overcomes drug resistance Directly reports salinomycin overcomes ABC transporter–mediated multidrug/apoptosis resistance in leukemia stem cell–like cells (ref)
12 Ferroptosis susceptibility (GPX4 axis) in CSC context ↑ ferroptosis (context-dependent) Non-apoptotic oxidative death modality Reports salinomycin induces ferroptosis in a CSC context via a pathway converging on GPX4/GPX activity regulation (directionality: ferroptosis induction by salinomycin in that model) (ref)


LDH, Lactate Dehydrogenase: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
LDH is a general term that refers to the enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of lactate and pyruvate. LDH is a tetrameric enzyme, meaning it is composed of four subunits.
LDH refers to the enzyme as a whole, while LDHA specifically refers to the M subunit. Elevated LDHA levels are often associated with poor prognosis and aggressive tumor behavior, similar to elevated LDH levels.
leakage of LDH is a well-known indicator of cell membrane integrity and cell viability [35]. LDH leakage results from the breakdown of the plasma membrane and alterations in membrane permeability, and is widely used as a cytotoxicity endpoint.

However, it's worth noting that some studies have shown that LDHA is a more specific and sensitive biomarker for cancer than total LDH, as it is more closely associated with the Warburg effect and cancer metabolism.

Dysregulated LDH activity contributes significantly to cancer development, promoting the Warburg effect (Chen et al., 2007), which involves increased glucose uptake and lactate production, even in the presence of oxygen, to meet the energy demands of rapidly proliferating cancer cells (Warburg and Minami, 1923; Dai et al., 2016b). LDHA overexpression favors pyruvate to lactate conversion, leading to tumor microenvironment acidification and aiding cancer progression and metastasis.

Inhibitors:
Flavonoids, a group of polyphenols abundant in fruit, vegetables, and medicinal plants, function as LDH inhibitors.
LDH is used as a clinical biomarker for Synthetic liver function, nutrition

Tier A — Direct LDH Enzyme Inhibitors (Validated Catalytic Inhibition)

Rank Compound Type LDH Target Potency Level Primary Effect Notes
1 NCI-006 Research drug LDHA / LDHB High (in vivo active) Potent glycolysis suppression Modern benchmark LDH inhibitor used in metabolic oncology models.
2 (R)-GNE-140 Research drug LDHA (±LDHB) High (nM range reported) Lactate production ↓ Widely used experimental LDH inhibitor.
3 FX11 Research drug LDHA High (μM range) Metabolic crisis in LDHA-dependent tumors Classic LDHA inhibitor; often increases ROS secondary to metabolic stress.
4 Oxamate Tool compound LDH (pyruvate-competitive) Moderate (mM cellular use) Reduces lactate flux Classical LDH inhibitor; requires high concentrations in cells.
5 Gossypol Natural product derivative LDHA Moderate–High Glycolysis inhibition Also has other targets; safety considerations apply.
6 Galloflavin Natural compound LDH isoforms Moderate Lactate production ↓ One of the better-supported “natural-like” LDH inhibitors.

Tier B — Indirect LDH-Axis Modulators (Glycolysis / Lactate Reduction Without Confirmed Direct Catalytic Inhibition)

Rank Compound Mechanism Type LDH Claim Type Primary Axis Notes / Caution
1 Lonidamine MCT/MPC modulation Lactate axis inhibition Metabolic transport blockade Better classified as lactate/pyruvate transport modulator.
2 Stiripentol Repurposed drug LDH pathway modulation Metabolic axis modulation Emerging oncology interest; primarily neurological drug.
3 Quercetin Flavonoid Reported LDH inhibition (mixed evidence) NF-κB / PI3K modulation Often LDH-release confusion; direct enzymatic proof limited.
4 Ursolic acid Triterpenoid Reported LDH interaction Warburg modulation More credible as metabolic signaling modulator.
5 Fisetin Flavonoid Docking / indirect reports Apoptosis / survival signaling Enzyme inhibition not well validated.
6 Resveratrol Polyphenol Indirect glycolysis suppression AMPK / HIF-1α modulation Reduces lactate via upstream signaling.
7 Curcumin Polyphenol Indirect LDH expression modulation Inflammation + metabolic signaling Bioavailability limits translational strength.
8 Berberine Alkaloid Indirect metabolic modulation AMPK activation Closer to metformin-like metabolic pressure.
9 Honokiol Lignan Indirect glycolysis effects Survival pathway suppression Not validated as catalytic LDH inhibitor.
10 Silibinin Flavonolignan Mixed / indirect reports Inflammation + metabolic axis Often misclassified as LDH inhibitor.
11 Kaempferol Flavonoid Often LDH-release marker confusion Glucose transport / signaling Do not list as direct LDH inhibitor without enzyme data.
12 Oleanolic acid / Limonin / Allicin / Taurine Natural compounds Weak / indirect evidence General metabolic modulation Should not be categorized as true LDH inhibitors.

Tier A = Direct catalytic LDH inhibition (enzyme-level validation).
Tier B = Indirect lactate reduction or glycolytic modulation without strong catalytic inhibition evidence.
Important: LDH release assays (cell damage marker) are not proof of LDH enzymatic inhibition.



Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
323- Sal,  AgNPs,    Combination of salinomycin and silver nanoparticles enhances apoptosis and autophagy in human ovarian cancer cells: an effective anticancer therapy
- in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231 - in-vitro, Ovarian, A2780S
TumCD↑, LDH↓, MDA↑, SOD↓, ROS↑, GSH↓, Catalase↓, MMP↓, P53↑, P21↑, BAX↑, Bcl-2↓, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 1 of 1

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 1

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Catalase↓, 1,   GSH↓, 1,   MDA↑, 1,   ROS↑, 1,   SOD↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

LDH↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↑, 1,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Casp3↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   TumCD↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

TumAuto↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

P53↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

P21↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

LDH↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 17

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: LDH, Lactate Dehydrogenase
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#:203  Target#:906  State#:%  Dir#:1
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

Home Page