Thymoquinone / Bax:Bcl2 Cancer Research Results

TQ, Thymoquinone: Click to Expand ⟱
Features: Anti-oxidant, anti-tumor
Thymoquinone is a bioactive compound found in the seeds of Nigella sativa, commonly known as black seed or black cumin.
Pathways:
-Cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, ROS generation in cancer cells
-inhibit the activation of NF-κB, Suppress the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade
-Inhibit angiogenic factors such as VEGF, MMPs
-Inhibit HDACs, UHRF1, and DNMTs

-Note half-life 3-6hrs.
BioAv low oral bioavailability due to its lipophilic nature. Note refridgeration of Black seed oil improves the stability of TQ.
DIY: ~1 part lecithin : 2–3 parts black seed oil : 4–5 parts warm water. (chat ai)
Pathways:
- usually induce ROS production in Cancer cells, and lowers ROS in normal cells
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, Prx,
- May Low AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓(usually contrary), GSH↓ HO1↓(contrary), GPx↓
- 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↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMTs↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓, TET↑
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PDKs↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, α↓, ERK↓, JNK,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Label Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS Driver Upstream cytotoxic trigger Primary studies show TQ rapidly increases ROS; antioxidant/ROS modulation attenuates downstream effects, supporting ROS as an initiating mechanism in multiple cancer contexts (ref)
2 Glutathione (GSH) redox buffering ↓ GSH Driver Redox-collapse amplification Same prostate cancer study reports early GSH depletion alongside ROS rise; together these form a redox “one-two punch” that helps explain selective stress in tumor cells (ref)
3 Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm) ↓ ΔΨm Driver Mitochondrial dysfunction (MOMP axis) Primary leukemia/cancer study reports disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential after TQ exposure (mitochondrial events central to TQ-mediated death) (ref)
4 Intrinsic apoptosis (caspase-9 → caspase-3; PARP) ↑ caspases / ↑ apoptosis Driver Execution-phase cell death Same primary paper reports activation of caspases (8/9/3) with mitochondrial involvement—core evidence for apoptosis as the major outcome pathway (ref)
5 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity Secondary Reduced pro-survival / inflammatory transcription Colon cancer work: TQ induces cell death and chemosensitizes cells by inhibiting NF-κB signaling (explicit pathway-direction support) (ref)
6 STAT3 signaling ↓ p-STAT3 / ↓ STAT3 activation Secondary Reduced survival/proliferation signaling Gastric cancer study explicitly reports TQ suppresses constitutive STAT3 activation and related signaling readouts (ref)
7 NRF2 antioxidant-response axis (NRF2/HO-1 program) ↑ NRF2 pathway (often as stress-response) Adaptive Cellular antioxidant counter-response In TNBC context, a primary study reports TQ upregulates NRF2 (and evaluates downstream immune/checkpoint consequences), consistent with NRF2 acting as an adaptive response to redox stress (ref)
8 HIF-1α hypoxia signaling ↓ HIF-1α protein / ↓ HIF-1α program Adaptive Loss of hypoxia survival signaling Renal cancer hypoxia paper identifies TQ as suppressing HIF-1α and links this to selective killing under hypoxia (ref)
9 Glycolysis / Warburg output (hypoxia-linked) ↓ glycolysis (↓ HIF-1α–mediated glycolytic genes; ↓ glycolytic metabolism) Phenotypic Metabolic suppression In hypoxic renal cancer, TQ suppresses HIF-1α–mediated glycolysis; in CRC, TQ inhibits glycolytic metabolism alongside tumor growth limitation (ref)  |  (ref)


Bax:Bcl2, Bax:Bcl2 ratio: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Bax and Bcl-2 are the major members of Bcl-2 family that play a key role in tumor progression or inhibition of intrinsic apoptotic pathway triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction.
Bax/Bcl-2 ratio is typically significantly lower in tumors.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
5221- TQ,    Thymoquinone induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-8 and mitochondrial events in p53-null myeloblastic leukemia HL-60 cells
- in-vitro, AML, HL-60
chemoPv↑, Apoptosis↑, MMP↓, Casp8↑, Casp9↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, Cyt‑c↑,
2085- TQ,    Anticancer Activities of Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin)
- Review, Var, NA
MMP↓, Casp3↑, Casp8↑, Casp9↓, cl‑PARP↑, Cyt‑c↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, NF-kB↓, IAP1↓, IAP2↓, XIAP↓, Bcl-xL↓, survivin↓, cJun↑, p38↑, Akt↑, chemoP↑, *radioP↑,
2095- TQ,    Review on the Potential Therapeutic Roles of Nigella sativa in the Treatment of Patients with Cancer: Involvement of Apoptosis
- Review, Var, NA
TumCCA↑, Apoptosis↑, ROS↑, Cyt‑c↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, cl‑PARP↑, P53↑, P21↑, cMyc↓, hTERT/TERT↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, CDK4↓, NF-kB↓, IAP1↓, IAP2↓, XIAP↓, Bcl-xL↓, survivin↓, COX2↓, MMP9↓, VEGF↓, eff↑,
2097- TQ,    Crude extract of Nigella sativa inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells
- in-vitro, Cerv, HeLa
Cyt‑c↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, Casp8↑, cl‑PARP↑, cMyc↓, hTERT/TERT↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, CDK4↓, P53↑, P21↑, TumCP↓, Apoptosis↓, selectivity↑,
2124- TQ,    Thymoquinone: an emerging natural drug with a wide range of medical applications
- Review, Var, NA
hepatoP↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, cycD1/CCND1↓, P21↑, TRAIL↑, P53↑, TumCCA↑, hepatoP↑, *ALAT↓, *AST↓, *MDA↓, *GSSG↓, *COX2↓, *lipid-P↓, PPARγ↑, p38↑, ROS↑, ChemoSen↑, selectivity↑, selectivity↑, *MDA↓, *SOD↑,
2129- TQ,  doxoR,    Thymoquinone up-regulates PTEN expression and induces apoptosis in doxorubicin-resistant human breast cancer cells
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7
ChemoSen↑, PTEN↑, p‑Akt↓, TumCCA↑, P53↑, P21↑, Apoptosis↑, MMP↓, Casp↑, cl‑PARP↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, eff↓, DNAdam↓, p‑γH2AX↑, ROS↑,
2108- TQ,    Anti-cancer properties and mechanisms of action of thymoquinone, the major active ingredient of Nigella sativa
- Review, Var, NA
HDAC↓, TumCCA↑, cycD1/CCND1↓, p16↑, P53↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, Bcl-xL↓, NF-kB↓, IAP1↓, IAP2↓, XIAP↓, survivin↓, COX2↓, cMyc↓, ROS↑, Casp3↑, cl‑PARP↑, Cyt‑c↑, STAT3↓,
2112- TQ,    Crude flavonoid extract of the medicinal herb Nigella sativa inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in breastcancer cells
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7
Apoptosis↑, DNAdam↑, ROS↑, GSH↓, MMP↓, Casp3↑, Casp7↑, Casp9↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, P53↑, P21↑, cycD1/CCND1↓, GSSG↑, GSH/GSSG↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 8 of 8

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 8

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSH↓, 1,   GSH/GSSG↓, 1,   GSSG↑, 1,   ROS↑, 5,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↓, 4,   XIAP↓, 3,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

cMyc↓, 3,   PPARγ↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↑, 1,   p‑Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 4,   Bax:Bcl2↑, 8,   Bcl-xL↓, 3,   Casp↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 5,   Casp7↑, 1,   Casp8↑, 3,   Casp9↓, 1,   Casp9↑, 4,   Cyt‑c↑, 5,   hTERT/TERT↓, 2,   IAP1↓, 3,   IAP2↓, 3,   p38↑, 2,   survivin↓, 3,   TRAIL↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

cJun↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↓, 1,   DNAdam↑, 1,   p16↑, 1,   P53↑, 6,   cl‑PARP↑, 5,   p‑γH2AX↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK4↓, 2,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 5,   P21↑, 5,   TumCCA↑, 4,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

HDAC↓, 1,   PTEN↑, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

MMP9↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

VEGF↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 2,   NF-kB↓, 3,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

ChemoSen↑, 2,   eff↓, 1,   eff↑, 1,   selectivity↑, 3,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

hTERT/TERT↓, 2,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

chemoP↑, 1,   chemoPv↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 2,  
Total Targets: 54

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSSG↓, 1,   lipid-P↓, 1,   MDA↓, 2,   SOD↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

radioP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 9

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Bax:Bcl2, Bax:Bcl2 ratio
8 Thymoquinone
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#:162  Target#:352  State#:%  Dir#:2
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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