| Rank |
Pathway / Axis |
Cancer / Tumor Context |
Normal Tissue Context |
TSF |
Primary Effect |
Notes / Interpretation |
| 1 |
Nrf2 / ARE antioxidant response |
Context-dependent modulation |
Nrf2 ↑; antioxidant enzymes ↑ |
R, G |
Redox buffering |
Polyphenol-driven antioxidant response is the dominant mechanistic theme in non-malignant systems. |
| 2 |
ROS / oxidative stress modulation |
ROS ↓ (generally); pro-oxidant effects not dominant |
Oxidative stress ↓ |
P, R |
Antioxidant effect |
Most studies describe antioxidant protection rather than tumor-selective ROS elevation. |
| 3 |
NF-κB inflammatory signaling |
NF-κB ↓ (reported in limited models) |
Inflammation tone ↓ |
R, G |
Anti-inflammatory modulation |
Observed in inflammatory and oxidative injury systems; tumor-specific evidence is limited. |
| 4 |
Intrinsic apoptosis (mitochondrial; limited data) |
Apoptosis ↑ (reported in some in-vitro studies) |
↔ |
G |
Conditional cytotoxicity |
Cytotoxic effects generally mild and concentration-dependent; not comparable to strong pro-oxidants. |
| 5 |
Cell-cycle arrest |
Cell-cycle modulation ↑ (limited evidence) |
↔ |
G |
Cytostasis (weak) |
Evidence exists but is inconsistent and often extract-dependent. |
| 6 |
PI3K → AKT signaling |
Limited data; possible ↓ (reported in some systems) |
↔ |
R, G |
Survival pathway modulation |
Not a consistently demonstrated primary mechanism. |
| 7 |
Angiogenesis signaling (VEGF) |
Limited data; possible ↓ |
↔ |
G |
Potential anti-angiogenic effect |
Evidence sparse compared to stronger polyphenols like gallic or caffeic acid. |
| 8 |
Invasion / metastasis (MMPs) |
Limited evidence |
↔ |
G |
Uncertain tumor relevance |
Not well characterized mechanistically in oncology models. |
| 9 |
Metabolic modulation |
Indirect via anti-inflammatory and antioxidant tone |
Metabolic support ↑ |
R, G |
Systemic metabolic effect |
Better supported in cardiometabolic contexts than direct anticancer contexts. |
| 10 |
Extract variability / compositional heterogeneity |
Activity varies by cultivar, processing, solvent |
— |
— |
Translation constraint |
Whole fruit extracts differ significantly in phenolic profile and potency. |