Isobavachalcone / Ca+2 Cancer Research Results

IBC, Isobavachalcone: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:

Isobavachalcone - Prenylated Chalcone

Type: Natural prenylated chalcone / flavonoid-related phytochemical
-Chalcone → chemical class / parent scaffold, not a molecular target. -Example Chalones: Isobavachalcone, xanthohumol, licochalcone A, isoliquiritigenin

Sources: Found in several medicinal plants, particularly Psoralea corylifolia (Cullen corylifolium), as well as other plant species containing prenylated chalcones.

Function: Isobavachalcone is a bioactive prenylated chalcone with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective activities. Reported molecular effects include modulation of AKT, ERK/MAPK, ROS, apoptosis, inflammatory signaling, and cellular stress pathways.

Cancer: Experimental studies demonstrate inhibition of cancer-cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induction of apoptosis and other forms of regulated cell death. IBC can suppress AKT and ERK signaling, increase tumor-cell oxidative stress, and modulate antitumor immune responses. Anticancer activity has been demonstrated in pancreatic, breast, oral, colorectal, thyroid, and other experimental cancer models.

Alzheimer's Disease: Preclinical studies indicate neuroprotective activity, including reduction of Aβ accumulation and plaque pathology, suppression of neuroinflammation, and improvement of memory and cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease models.

Isobavachalcone — Isobavachalcone (IBC; CAS 20784-50-3) is a naturally occurring prenylated chalcone and flavonoid-related phytochemical found particularly in Psoralea corylifolia L. (syn. Cullen corylifolium; Psoraleae Fructus/Bu Gu Zhi). It is an experimental small-molecule natural product with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective activities. Current anticancer evidence is preclinical and increasingly supports direct or proximal effects on SIRT2, DHODH, thioredoxin reductase 1, AKT signaling, mitochondrial function, and redox homeostasis. IBC has not been established as an approved anticancer or Alzheimer therapy.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

  1. Mitochondrial and redox disruption with ↑ ROS, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, impaired respiration/ATP production, mitochondrial Ca²⁺ overload, and activation of mitochondrial permeability-transition-associated cell death.
  2. ↓ AKT signaling, including direct inhibition of AKT1 activity in early studies and suppression of AKT phosphorylation, reducing survival signaling and promoting mitochondrial apoptosis.
  3. Direct ↓ SIRT2 activity, disrupting SIRT2/α-tubulin signaling and downstream STAT3/c-Myc and Snail/MMP pathways in triple-negative breast cancer.
  4. ↓ DHODH with mitochondrial dysfunction, mtDNA release, ↑ ROS, and activation of cGAS-STING-associated antitumor immunity in gastric cancer models.
  5. ↓ thioredoxin reductase 1, weakening cellular thioredoxin antioxidant capacity and promoting ROS-dependent ER stress and apoptosis in prostate cancer.
  6. Induction of multiple regulated cell-death programs including mitochondrial apoptosis, non-canonical mitochondrial permeability-transition-driven necrosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy, depending on tumor model.
  7. Suppression of invasion and metastatic signaling through pathways including ↓ β-catenin, ↓ MMP-2/MMP-9, ↓ Snail, and other context-dependent AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin and SIRT2-associated mechanisms.
  8. Antitumor immune modulation, including ↑ CD8+ T-cell infiltration, ↓ M2 macrophage polarization, and STING-associated innate immune activation in animal tumor models.
  9. ABCB1 modulation and membrane perturbation, potentially increasing drug accumulation in some multidrug-resistant cancer cells.
  10. Secondary NRF2/HO-1 activation has been reported primarily in anti-inflammatory/non-cancer contexts and should not be interpreted as the principal anticancer mechanism.

Bioavailability / PK relevance: Human pharmacokinetics have not been established. Rat oral pharmacokinetic studies demonstrate measurable systemic exposure after high oral dosing, but IBC undergoes extensive glucuronidation involving UGT1A1, UGT1A3 and additional UGT isoforms, with BCRP/MRP-mediated glucuronide efflux. These metabolic characteristics may limit free systemic exposure. IBC also inhibits multiple CYP and UGT enzymes in vitro at low-micromolar concentrations, creating a potential drug-interaction concern if therapeutically relevant human exposure can be achieved.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many anticancer experiments use approximately low- to several-tens-of-micromolar IBC concentrations; for example, MCF-7 growth inhibition has been reported at IC50 values around 28–38 µM, whereas direct SIRT2 inhibition occurs at substantially lower concentrations with an enzymatic IC50 of approximately 0.84 µM. Human plasma concentrations after oral dosing are unknown, so it cannot currently be assumed that the concentrations required for many cell-culture anticancer effects are clinically achievable. High-concentration mitochondrial ROS effects are particularly relevant to the hepatotoxicity signal and may narrow any therapeutic window.

Clinical evidence status: Preclinical. Anticancer activity has been demonstrated in numerous cancer cell systems and several mouse xenograft/allograft models, including breast, gastric, pancreatic, colorectal, prostate, AML, thyroid, and other cancers. No established human anticancer efficacy, therapeutic dose, validated exposure-response relationship, or regulatory approval has been demonstrated.

Safety: Hepatotoxicity is a significant translational constraint. IBC itself has produced mitochondrial dysfunction, ROS accumulation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP depletion, apoptosis, and ferroptosis-associated injury in hepatic experimental systems. Psoralea corylifolia preparations are independently associated with clinically reported liver injury, although toxicity of the whole herb cannot be attributed exclusively to IBC. Potential CYP/UGT inhibition further raises concern for pharmacokinetic drug interactions.

Isobavachalcone Cancer-Relevant Mechanisms

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Mitochondrial ROS and bioenergetic disruption ↑ ROS; ↓ mitochondrial membrane potential; ↓ respiration; ↓ ATP Similar mitochondrial toxicity can occur in hepatocytes Metabolic collapse and cell death Central recurring mechanism across multiple cancer models, but lack of strict tumor selectivity is an important safety limitation.
2 AKT survival signaling ↓ AKT activity; ↓ p-AKT ↓ p-AKT reported during hepatic toxicity ↓ survival signaling; ↑ apoptosis IBC has been reported to inhibit AKT1 kinase and repeatedly suppress cellular AKT phosphorylation.
3 Mitochondrial permeability transition and Ca²⁺ ↑ mitochondrial Ca²⁺; ↑ pore opening; ↓ membrane potential Not well characterized ↑ regulated necrosis ROS-dependent non-canonical mitochondrial permeability-transition-driven necrosis demonstrated in breast and lung cancer models.
4 SIRT2 signaling ↓ SIRT2; ↑ α-tubulin acetylation; ↓ STAT3/c-Myc; ↓ Snail/MMP signaling Limited comparative data ↓ proliferation and migration; ↑ apoptosis Direct SIRT2 inhibition reported with an enzymatic IC50 of approximately 0.84 µM in TNBC studies.
5 DHODH mitochondrial pyrimidine metabolism ↓ DHODH; ↑ ROS; ↑ mitochondrial damage; ↑ mtDNA release Limited comparative data Metabolic stress and antitumor immune activation Recent gastric-cancer evidence identifies DHODH as a functional target linking mitochondrial injury with STING signaling.
6 cGAS-STING innate immune signaling ↑ STING-associated signaling Context-dependent ↑ antitumor immune response Associated with mitochondrial damage and mtDNA release in gastric-cancer models.
7 Thioredoxin reductase 1 redox defense ↓ TrxR1; ↑ ROS; ↑ ER stress Potential oxidative toxicity ↑ apoptosis TrxR1 has been proposed as a direct redox-sensitive IBC target in prostate cancer cells.
8 Mitochondrial apoptosis ↑ Bax; ↓ Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/Mcl-1; ↑ cytochrome c; ↑ caspase-9/3; ↑ PARP cleavage Can also occur in hepatic cells ↑ apoptosis Highly reproducible downstream phenotype in several tumor types.
9 Pyroptosis ↑ caspase-dependent GSDME cleavage Insufficient comparative data ↑ inflammatory cell death Demonstrated particularly in anaplastic thyroid cancer models.
10 Necroptosis and autophagy ↑ RIP3/MLKL signaling; ↑ LC3-II/I (model-dependent) Context-dependent Multiple regulated cell-death responses Observed in selected breast-cancer models; not a universal IBC response.
11 AKT GSK-3β β-catenin signaling ↓ pathway activity Not well characterized ↓ proliferation and survival Reported prominently in colorectal cancer cells.
12 Migration and extracellular matrix remodeling ↓ MMP-2; ↓ MMP-9; ↓ Snail; ↓ migration/invasion Limited data ↓ invasive phenotype Supported in oral, breast, colorectal, and related cancer models.
13 Tumor immune microenvironment ↑ CD8+ T cells; ↓ M2 macrophages Immune modulation is context-dependent ↑ antitumor immunity Demonstrated in orthotopic pancreatic tumor models.
14 ABCB1 multidrug resistance ↓ ABCB1 transport function (context-dependent) May alter xenobiotic transport Potential chemosensitization IBC behaves as a membrane-active ABCB1 substrate and/or competitive inhibitor; clinical chemosensitization has not been established.
15 NRF2 HO-1 antioxidant signaling Context-dependent ↑ NRF2/HO-1 reported mainly in inflammatory models Anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects Secondary mechanism and potentially opposite to the desired pro-oxidant anticancer state.
16 Clinical Translation Constraint Effective concentrations frequently in low-to-tens-of-µM range Hepatic mitochondrial and ferroptotic toxicity documented experimentally Limits therapeutic translation Human PK, therapeutic exposure, tumor selectivity, maximum tolerated dose, and clinical efficacy remain undefined; extensive glucuronidation and CYP/UGT interactions are additional constraints.

Alzheimer's disease relevance: Isobavachalcone has meaningful but exclusively preclinical evidence in Alzheimer's disease. In transgenic AD mouse models, IBC has improved memory-related outcomes and reduced Aβ pathology, tau hyperphosphorylation, and neuroinflammation. More recent work links these effects to ↑ autophagic Aβ clearance and ↓ NLRP3 inflammasome activation in astrocytes. Earlier studies also identified inhibitory activity against several AD-associated targets, including Aβ42-related processes, BACE1, GSK-3β, and acetylcholinesterase. No human efficacy, dose, pharmacokinetic target, or clinical safety data support its use for AD.

Isobavachalcone Alzheimer-Relevant Mechanisms

Rank Pathway / Axis Modulation Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Amyloid beta clearance ↓ Aβ accumulation and plaque burden Reduced amyloid pathology Supported in transgenic mouse models.
2 Autophagy ↑ autophagic clearance ↑ Aβ removal Mechanistically supported in primary astrocytes and 5xFAD mice.
3 NLRP3 inflammasome ↓ NLRP3 activation ↓ neuroinflammation Astrocyte-associated anti-inflammatory mechanism demonstrated in recent preclinical work.
4 Tau pathology ↓ tau hyperphosphorylation and filament formation Reduced tau pathology Reported in 3×Tg-AD mice.
5 GSK-3β ↓ activity Potential reduction of tau phosphorylation Supported mainly by earlier multi-target biochemical studies.
6 BACE1 and amyloidogenic processing ↓ activity Potential ↓ Aβ generation Preclinical biochemical evidence; in-vivo contribution is less certain.
7 Acetylcholinesterase ↓ activity Potential cholinergic support Biochemical activity; clinical relevance has not been established.
8 Clinical Translation Constraint Human exposure and CNS penetration not established Uncertain therapeutic feasibility Potential hepatotoxicity, metabolism, drug interactions, and lack of human PK/efficacy are major constraints.


Ca+2, Calcium Ion Ca+2: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
In all eukaryotic cells, intracellular Ca2+ levels are maintained at low resting concentrations (approximately 100 nM) by the activity of the major Ca2+ extrusion system, the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA), which exchanges extracellular protons (H+) for cytosolic Ca2+.
Indeed, sustained elevation of [Ca2+]C in the form of overload, saturating all Ca2+-dependent effectors, prolonged decrease in [Ca2+]ER, causing ER stress response, and high [Ca2+]M, inducing mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), are considered to be pro-death factors.
In cancer the Ca2+-handling toolkit undergoes profound remodelling (figure 1) to favour activation of Ca2+-dependent transcription factors, such as the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), c-Myc, c-Jun, c-Fos that promote hypertrophic growth via induction of the expression of the G1 and G1/S phase transition cyclins (D and E) and associated cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK4 and CDK2).
Thus, cancer cells may evade apoptosis through decreasing calcium influx into the cytoplasm. This can be achieved by either downregulation of the expression of plasma membrane Ca2+-permeable ion channels or by reducing the effectiveness of the signalling pathways that activate these channels. Such protective measures would largely diminish the possibility of Ca2+ overload in response to pro-apoptotic stimuli, thereby impairing the effectiveness of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic apoptotic pathways.
Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels (VGCCs): Overexpression of VGCCs has been associated with increased tumor growth and metastasis in various cancers, including breast and prostate cancer.
Store-Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE): SOCE mechanisms, such as STIM1 and ORAI1, are often upregulated in cancer cells, contributing to enhanced cell survival and proliferation.
High intracellular calcium levels are associated with increased cell proliferation and migration, leading to a poorer prognosis. Calcium signaling can also influence hormone receptor status, affecting treatment responses.
Increased Ca²⁺ signaling is associated with advanced disease and metastasis. Patients with higher CaSR expression may have a worse prognosis due to enhanced tumor growth and resistance to apoptosis. -Ca2+ is an important regulator of the electric charge distribution of bio-membranes.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
7385- IBC,    Fighting cancer by triggering non-canonical mitochondrial permeability transition-driven necrosis through reactive oxygen species induction
- vitro+vivo, Lung, A549 - in-vitro, BC, 4T1
Apoptosis↑, necrosis↑, ROS↑, mtDam↑, Ca+2↑, MPT↑, MMP↓, AntiCan↑, *AntiBio↑, *Inflam↓, *antiOx↓, *neuroP↑, p‑Akt↓, DHODH↓, Diff↑, MAPK↑,
7770- IBC,    Fighting cancer by triggering non-canonical mitochondrial permeability transition-driven necrosis through reactive oxygen species induction
- in-vitro, Lung, NA - vitro+vivo, BC, 4T1
necrosis↑, ROS↑, mtDam↑, Ca+2↑, NA↑, MMP↓, TumCG↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 2 of 2

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 2

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


NA, unassigned(tgid=0) ⓘ

DHODH↓, 1,   NA↑, 1,  

Redox & Oxidative Stress(tgid=1) ⓘ

ROS↑, 2,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics(tgid=3) ⓘ

MMP↓, 2,   MPT↑, 1,   mtDam↑, 2,  

Cell Death(tgid=5) ⓘ

p‑Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   MAPK↑, 1,   necrosis↑, 2,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State(tgid=12) ⓘ

Diff↑, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration(tgid=13) ⓘ

Ca+2↑, 2,  

Functional Outcomes(tgid=23) ⓘ

AntiCan↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 14

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


NA, unassigned(tgid=0) ⓘ

AntiBio↑, 1,  

Redox & Oxidative Stress(tgid=1) ⓘ

antiOx↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling(tgid=16) ⓘ

Inflam↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes(tgid=23) ⓘ

neuroP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 4

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Ca+2, Calcium Ion Ca+2
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#:446  Target#:38  State#:%  Dir#:2
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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