Database Query Results : Quercetin, , HK2

QC, Quercetin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Plant pigment (flavonoid) found in red wine, onions, green tea, apples and berries.
Quercetin is thought to contribute to anticancer effects through several mechanisms:
-Antioxidant Activity:
-Induction of Apoptosis:modify Bax:Bcl-2 ratio
-Anti-inflammatory Effects:
-Cell Cycle Arrest:
-Inhibition of Angiogenesis and Metastasis: (VEGF)

Cellular Pathways:
-PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway: central to cell proliferation, survival, and metabolism.
-MAPK/ERK Pathway: influencing cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis.
-NF-κB Pathway: downregulate NF-κB
-JAK/STAT Pathway: interfere with the activation of STAT3
-Apoptotic Pathways: intrinsic (mitochondrial) and extrinsic (death receptor-mediated) pathways

Quercetin has been used at doses around 500–1000 mg per day
Quercetin’s bioavailability from foods or standard supplements can be low.

-Note half-life 11 to 28 hours.
BioAv low 1-10%, poor water-solubility, consuming with fat may improve bioavialability. also piperine or VitC.
Pathways:
- induce ROS production in cancer cells (higher dose). Typicallys Lowers ROS in normal cells(unless it is high dose?)or depends on Redox status?. "quercetin paradox"
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, Prx,
- Confusing info about Lowering AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓(some contrary), TrxR↓**, SOD↓(contrary), GSH↓ Catalase↓(contrary), HO1↓(some contrary), GPx↓(some contrary)
- 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↓, TIMP2, IGF-1↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, SDF1↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, 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↓, TOP1↓, TET1,
- inhibits glycolysis and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, FGF↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓,
- some indication of inhibiting Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, CK2↓, Hh↓, CD24↓, β-catenin↓, Notch2↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, α↓, ERK↓, JNK, - SREBP (related to cholesterol).
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Label Primary Interpretation Notes
1 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS (dose-, metal-, context-dependent) ↓ ROS Conditional Driver Biphasic redox modulation Quercetin exhibits pro-oxidant behavior in cancer cells while protecting normal cells
2 Mitochondrial integrity / intrinsic apoptosis ↓ ΔΨm; ↑ caspase activation ↔ preserved Driver Execution of intrinsic apoptosis Mitochondrial dysfunction is a central apoptosis route in cancer cells
3 PI3K → AKT → mTOR axis ↓ AKT / ↓ mTOR ↔ adaptive suppression Driver Growth and survival inhibition AKT/mTOR suppression is a consistently reported upstream effect in cancer models
4 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activation ↓ inflammatory NF-κB tone Secondary Reduced survival and inflammatory transcription NF-κB inhibition contributes to chemosensitization and apoptosis susceptibility
5 MAPK signaling (JNK / p38) ↑ JNK / ↑ p38 ↔ minimal Secondary Stress-mediated apoptosis signaling MAPK activation supports apoptosis downstream of redox stress
6 Cell cycle regulation ↑ G1/S or G2/M arrest ↔ largely spared Phenotypic Cytostatic growth control Cell-cycle arrest reflects disruption of growth signaling
7 HIF-1α hypoxia signaling ↓ HIF-1α ↔ minimal Secondary Reduced hypoxia tolerance Quercetin interferes with hypoxia-driven transcriptional programs
8 NRF2 antioxidant response ↑ NRF2 (adaptive, context-dependent) ↑ NRF2 (protective) Adaptive Stress compensation NRF2 induction reflects redox buffering rather than primary cytotoxicity


HK2, Hexokinase 2: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type: enzyme
HK2 (Hexokinase 2) is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in glycolysis, the process by which cells convert glucose into energy. HK2 is a key regulatory enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, and it is primarily expressed in various tissues, including muscle, brain, and cancer cells.
HK2 has been shown to be overexpressed in many types of tumors, including breast, lung, and colon cancer. This overexpression may contribute to the development and progression of cancer by promoting glycolysis and energy production in cancer cells.
HK2 is a key regulatory enzyme in the glycolytic pathway.
HK2 plays a role in the regulation of glucose metabolism in diabetes.
HK2 is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy.

HK2 Inhibitors:
-2DG
-Curcumin
-Resveratrol
-EGCG
-Berberine
-Methyl Jasmonate (MJ)
-Honokiol
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2458- EGCG,  QC,    Identification of plant-based hexokinase 2 inhibitors: combined molecular docking and dynamics simulation studies
- Analysis, Nor, NA
HK2↓, Overall, this study concludes that EGCG and quercitrin might possess the inhibitory potential for HK2.

2431- QC,    The Protective Effect of Quercetin against the Cytotoxicity Induced by Fumonisin B1 in Sertoli Cells
- in-vitro, Nor, TM4
*Apoptosis↓, 40 μM quercetin improved cell viability, reduced apoptosis, and preserved cell functions.
*ROS↓, Quercetin also decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in TM4 cells exposed to FB1
*antiOx↓, enhanced the expression of antioxidant genes
*MMP↑, improved mitochondrial membrane potential.
*GPI↑, elevated the mRNA and protein expression of glycolysis-related genes, including (Gpi1), (Hk2), (Aldoa), (Pkm), lactate (Ldha) and (Pfkl)
*HK2↑,
*ALDOA↑,
*PKM1↑,
*LDHA↑,
*PFKL↑,

2344- QC,    Quercetin: A natural solution with the potential to combat liver fibrosis
- Review, Nor, NA
*HK2↓, By reducing the activity of key glycolytic enzymes—including hexokinase II (HK2), phosphofructokinase platelet (PFKP), and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)—quercetin lowers energy production in LSECs, potentially slowing fibrosis progression.
*PFKP↓,
*PKM2↓,
*hepatoP↑, Quercetin lowered levels of liver enzymes (ALT, AST) and total bile acid, markers of liver injury.
*ALAT↓,
*AST↓,
*Glycolysis↓, quercetin inhibited glycolysis in LSECs, reducing lactate production, glucose consumption, and the expression of glycolytic enzymes
*lactateProd↓,
*GlucoseCon↓,
*CXCL1↓, By suppressing CXCL1 secretion, quercetin decreased neutrophil infiltration, a key factor in liver fibrosis, thereby effecting inflammation control.
*Inflam↓,

2342- QC,    Quercetin Inhibits the Proliferation of Glycolysis-Addicted HCC Cells by Reducing Hexokinase 2 and Akt-mTOR Pathway
- in-vitro, HCC, Bel-7402 - in-vitro, HCC, SMMC-7721 cell - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCP↓, In the present study, we reported that QUE inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells that relied on aerobic glycolysis.
HK2↓, QUE could decrease the protein levels of HK2 and suppress the AKT/mTOR pathway in HCC cells
Akt↓,
mTOR↓,
GlucoseCon↓, glucose uptake and lactate production of SMMC-7721 and Bel-7402 decreased in a dose-dependent manner after QUE treatment
lactateProd↓,
Glycolysis↓, QUE can inhibit the glycolysis of cancer cells, thereby inhibiting the progression of multiple cancers

2340- QC,    Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells with Acquired Resistance to Erlotinib Are Sensitive to Anti-Cancer Effect of Quercetin via Pyruvate Kinase M2 (PKM2)
- in-vitro, OS, NA
TumCG↓, At a concentration of 5 μM, quercetin effectively arrested cell growth, reduced glucose utilization, and inhibited cellular invasiveness
GlucoseCon↓,
TumCI↓,
GLUT1↓, Quercetin also prominently down-regulated GLUT1, PKM2, and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) expression of erlotinib-resistant HSC-3 cells
PKM2↓,
LDHA↓,
Glycolysis↓, Moreover, quercetin (30 μM) suppressed glycolysis in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, as evidenced by decreased glucose uptake and lactate production with a concomitant decrease in the levels of the GLUT1, PKM2, and LDHA proteins [29].
lactateProd↓,
HK2↓, Hexokinase 2 (HK2)-mediated glycolysis was also shown to be inhibited following quercetin treatment (25~50 μM) in Bel-7402 and SMMC-7721 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells
eff↑, Downregulation of PKM2 also potently restored sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of erlotinib on cell growth and invasion

2300- QC,    Flavonoids Targeting HIF-1: Implications on Cancer Metabolism
- Review, Var, NA
AntiTum↑, Quercetin exerts promising anti-tumor effects via the regulation of various cancer signaling pathways
Hif1a↓, Quercetin inhibited HIF-1 transcriptional activity in the HCT116 colon cancer cell line
*Hif1a↑, On the contrary, quercetin increased the accumulation of HIF-1α in healthy cells
Glycolysis↓, Quercetin inhibited glycolysis and proliferation of glycolysis-dependent hepatocellular carcinoma (SMMC-7721 and Bel-7402) cells by downregulating HKII;
HK2↓,
PDK3↓, quercetin inhibited PDK3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and lung cancer (A549) cells
PFKP?, The ability of quercetin to impair PFKP-LDHA signaling

70- QC,    Quercetin inhibits the expression and function of the androgen receptor in LNCaP prostate cancer cells
- in-vitro, Pca, LNCaP - in-vitro, Pca, LAPC-4
PSA↓, quercetin inhibited the secretion of the prostate-specific, androgen-regulated tumor markers, PSA and hK2
AR↓, Quercetin inhibits the expression of AR protein
NKX3.1↓, Quercetin can also significantly down-regulate the expression of another prostate-specific gene, NKX3.1,
HK2↓, Quercetin inhibits PSA and hK2 secretion

3374- QC,    Therapeutic effects of quercetin in oral cancer therapy: a systematic review of preclinical evidence focused on oxidative damage, apoptosis and anti-metastasis
- Review, Oral, NA - Review, AD, NA
α-SMA↓, In oral cancer cells, quercetin could inhibit EMT via up-regulation of claudin-1 and E-cadherin and down-regulation of α-SMA, vimentin, fibronectin, and Slug [29]
α-SMA↑, OSC20 Invasion: ↓Migration, ↑Expression of epithelial markers (E-cadherin & claudin-1), ↑Expression of mesenchymal markers (fibronectin, vimentin, & α-SMA),
TumCP↓, quercetin significantly reduced cancer cell proliferation, cell viability, tumor volume, invasion, metastasis and migration
tumCV↓,
TumVol↓,
TumCI↓,
TumMeta↓,
TumCMig↓,
ROS↑, This anti-cancer agent induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in the cancer cells.
Apoptosis↑,
BioAv↓, The efficacy of quercetin (as lipophilic) is much impacted by its poor absorption rates, which define its bioavailability. The research on quercetin's bioavailability in animal models shows it may be as low as 10%
*neuroP↑, quercetin has been observed to exhibit neuroprotective effects in Alzheimer's disease through its anti-oxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties and inhibition of amyloid-β (Aβ) fibril formation
*antiOx↑,
*Inflam↓,
*Aβ↓,
*cardioP↑, Additionally, quercetin protects the heart by stopping oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and protein kinases
MMP↓, ↓MMP, ↑Cytosolic Cyt. C,
Cyt‑c↑,
MMP2↓, ↓Activation MMP-2 & MMP-9, ↓Expression levels of EMT inducers & MMPs, Downregulated Twist & Slug
MMP9↓,
EMT↓,
MMPs↓,
Twist↓,
Slug↓,
Ca+2↑, ↑Apoptosis, ↑ROS, ↑Ca2+ production, ↑Activities of caspase‑3, caspase‑8 & caspase‑9
AIF↑, ↑Mitochondrial release of Cyt. C, AIF, & Endo G
Endon↑,
P-gp↓, ↓ Protein levels of P-gp, & P-gp Expression
LDH↑, ↑LDH release
HK2↓, CAL27 cells) 80µM/24h Molecular markers: ↓Activities of HK, PK, & LDH, ↓Glycolysis, ↓Glucose uptake, ↓Lactate production, ↓Viability, ↓G3BP1, & YWHA2 protein levels
PKA↓,
Glycolysis↓,
GlucoseCon↓,
lactateProd↓,
GRP78/BiP↑, Quercetin controls the activation of intracellular Ca2+ and calpain-1, which then activates GRP78, caspase-12, and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) in oral cancer cells
Casp12↑,
CHOP↑,


* 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 ⓘ

ROS↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

AIF↑, 1,   MMP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

GlucoseCon↓, 3,   Glycolysis↓, 4,   HK2↓, 6,   lactateProd↓, 3,   LDH↑, 1,   LDHA↓, 1,   PDK3↓, 1,   PFKP?, 1,   PKM2↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   Casp12↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   Endon↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

tumCV↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

CHOP↑, 1,   GRP78/BiP↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

NKX3.1↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

EMT↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

Ca+2↑, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   MMPs↓, 1,   PKA↓, 1,   Slug↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 2,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 2,   TumMeta↓, 1,   Twist↓, 1,   α-SMA↓, 1,   α-SMA↑, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

Hif1a↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT1↓, 1,   P-gp↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

PSA↓, 1,  

Hormonal & Nuclear Receptors ⓘ

AR↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 1,   eff↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

AR↓, 1,   LDH↑, 1,   PSA↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiTum↑, 1,   TumVol↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 49

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↓, 1,   antiOx↑, 1,   ROS↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   ALDOA↑, 1,   GlucoseCon↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 1,   GPI↑, 1,   HK2↓, 1,   HK2↑, 1,   lactateProd↓, 1,   LDHA↑, 1,   PFKL↑, 1,   PFKP↓, 1,   PKM1↑, 1,   PKM2↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

Hif1a↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

CXCL1↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 2,  

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

Aβ↓, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cardioP↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 27

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: HK2, Hexokinase 2
8 Quercetin
1 EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate)
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#:140  Target#:773  State#:%  Dir#:%
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