| Rank |
Pathway / Axis |
Cancer Cells |
Normal Cells |
TSF |
Primary Effect |
Notes / Interpretation |
| 1 |
NF-κB inflammatory transcription |
NF-κB ↓; pro-inflammatory cytokine programs ↓ (context) |
Inflammation tone ↓ |
R, G |
Anti-inflammatory / anti-survival transcription |
EA is repeatedly reported to suppress NF-κB activity and reduce inflammatory cytokine expression in tumor and inflammation models. |
| 2 |
PI3K → AKT (± mTOR) survival axis |
PI3K/AKT ↓ (reported); proliferation ↓ |
↔ |
R, G |
Growth/survival suppression |
Multiple cancer studies/reviews report EA-associated suppression of PI3K/AKT signaling linked to G1 arrest and apoptosis. |
| 3 |
Cell-cycle control (G1 arrest emphasis) |
Cell-cycle arrest ↑ (often G1); Cyclin/CDK programs ↓ (context) |
↔ |
G |
Cytostasis |
Frequently observed as a later phenotype-level outcome; commonly reported alongside reduced proliferation. |
| 4 |
Intrinsic apoptosis (mitochondrial / caspase-linked) |
Apoptosis ↑; caspase activation ↑ (context) |
↔ (generally less activation) |
G |
Apoptosis execution |
Often downstream of survival signaling suppression and/or stress signaling; reported across multiple tumor types. |
| 5 |
Nrf2 antioxidant response (Keap1/Nrf2/ARE) |
Stress adaptation modulation (context-dependent) |
Nrf2 ↑; antioxidant enzymes ↑ (context) |
R, G |
Endogenous antioxidant upshift |
EA is commonly described as activating Nrf2/ARE programs in oxidative-stress models; tumor direction is model-dependent and should not be overstated. |
| 6 |
ROS / oxidative stress |
Oxidative stress tone ↓ (often); ROS direction can vary by model |
ROS injury ↓ |
P, R, G |
Redox buffering (context-dependent) |
EA is widely characterized as antioxidant/anti-inflammatory; in cancer models, oxidative stress effects can be secondary to pathway reprogramming. |
| 7 |
Invasion / metastasis programs (MMPs / EMT) |
MMPs ↓; migration/invasion ↓ (reported) |
↔ |
G |
Anti-invasive phenotype |
Often reported as downstream outcomes tied to NF-κB and survival signaling changes; keep as “reported” (not universal). |
| 8 |
Angiogenesis signaling (VEGF & angiogenic outputs) |
VEGF ↓; angiogenic outputs ↓ (reported) |
↔ |
G |
Anti-angiogenic support |
Typically observed as later reductions in pro-angiogenic expression/secretion or angiogenesis assays. |
| 9 |
One-carbon / microbiome conversion to urolithins (translation driver) |
Systemic activity often mediated by urolithins (e.g., urolithin A) rather than free EA |
— |
— |
PK / metabolite constraint |
EA and ellagitannins are transformed by gut microbiota into urolithins, bioavailable metabolites; inter-individual variation in “metabotypes” affects exposure and effects. |
| 10 |
Bioavailability constraint (oral exposure) |
Free EA systemic exposure often limited (without formulation / metabolite reliance) |
— |
— |
Translation constraint |
EA has absorption/metabolism constraints; measuring metabolites (urolithins) is often more informative than EA alone. |