Database Query Results : Shikonin, , hepatoP

SK, Shikonin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
The (R)-enantiomer of alkannin is known as shikonin, and the racemic mixture of the two is known as shikalkin.
Shikonin is a naphthoquinone derivative primarily isolated from the roots of plants in the Boraginaceae family (e.g., Lithospermum erythrorhizon).
Shikonin is the main active component of a Chinese medicinal plant 'Zi Cao'
-Shikonin is a major component of zicao (purple gromwell, the dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon), a Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory properties
-Quinone methides (QMs) are highly reactive intermediates formed from natural compounds like shikonin
-ic50 cancer cells 1-10uM, normal cells >10uM

-known as Glycolysis inhibitor: ( inhibit pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2*******), a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway)

Available from mcsformulas.com Shikonin Pro Liposomal, 30 mg
Also In Glycolysis Inhibithree(100 mg PHLORIZIN,10 mg TANSHINONE IIA, 8 mg Shikonin)

-Note half-life15-30mins or 8hr?.
BioAv low, poor water solubility
Pathways:
- usually induce ROS production in cancer cells, and reduce ROS in normal cells.
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓,
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓, TrxR↓**, SOD↓, GSH↓ Catalase↓ GPx4↓
- 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↓, IGF-1↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, ERK↓, JNK, P53↑,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells
Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance
1 PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis (Warburg metabolism) ↓ Energy / biomass restriction Key, repeatedly reported mechanism: shikonin suppresses PKM2 activity and PKM2-driven glycolysis in multiple tumor models, with downstream growth inhibition and apoptosis
2 ROS accumulation / oxidative stress ↑ ROS Redox overload Common upstream trigger that drives mitochondrial dysfunction and regulated cell death programs; often precedes necroptosis/apoptosis signaling
3 Necroptosis core cascade (RIPK1 → RIPK3 → MLKL) ↑ Programmed necrotic cell death Strong evidence across cancers (e.g., leukemia and nasopharyngeal carcinoma): shikonin increases RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL expression/activation; necroptosis inhibitors can blunt the effect
4 Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm) ↓ Mitochondrial dysfunction ROS-linked depolarization; acts as a pivot into intrinsic apoptosis and other death programs
5 Intrinsic apoptosis (BAX/BAK → Caspase-9/3) ↑ Programmed cell death Frequently observed; often framed as ROS → mitochondrial damage → caspase-dependent apoptosis
6 PKM2/STAT3 signaling axis ↓ Reduced survival & proliferation signaling In ESCC and related models, shikonin suppresses PKM2-driven glycolysis and down-modulates STAT3 pathway activity
7 NF-κB pathway ↓ Reduced pro-survival transcription Reported as part of multi-target suppression of inflammatory/anti-apoptotic programs in several tumor models and reviews
8 PI3K–AKT (± mTOR) ↓ Growth & resistance pathway inhibition Often described as sensitizing cells to apoptosis/TRAIL; may be secondary to oxidative stress and metabolic collapse
9 Stress MAPKs (JNK / p38) ↑ Pro-death stress signaling Common downstream response to ROS; can reinforce apoptosis and other death outcomes
10 Ferroptosis-related axis (lipid peroxidation; GPX4) ↑ lipid perox / ↓ GPX4 Iron-dependent oxidative death Reported prominently for acetylshikonin (a shikonin derivative): ROS-associated lipid peroxidation with reduced GPX4 expression alongside RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL activation
11 Endoplasmic reticulum stress (UPR / ERS) ↑ Proteotoxic stress signaling Frequently mentioned in leukemia-focused mechanism summaries and broader reviews as contributory to growth arrest and death
12 Multiple regulated death programs (apoptosis / necroptosis / ferroptosis / pyroptosis) ↑ (context-dependent) Broader cell-death engagement Recent reviews emphasize that shikonin can engage several programmed cell death modalities depending on cell context and dosing
Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis (Warburg metabolism) ↓ PKM2 activity / ↓ glycolysis Energy & biomass restriction Demonstrates shikonin (and analogs) inhibit cancer glycolysis, reducing glucose consumption/lactate production via PKM2 targeting (ref)
2 PKM2 → STAT3 signaling axis ↓ PKM2-driven signaling / ↓ STAT3 pathway Reduced survival & proliferation ESCC study: shikonin suppresses PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis and regulates PKM2/STAT3 signaling (ref)
3 Necroptosis (RIPK1 → RIPK3 → MLKL) ↑ RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL Programmed necrotic cell death Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: shikonin induces necroptosis with upregulation of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL (with ROS involvement) (ref)
4 ROS accumulation ↑ ROS Oxidative stress trigger Colon cancer model: shikonin increases intracellular ROS; ROS functions upstream of apoptosis (ref)
5 Mitochondrial apoptosis (Caspase-9/3) ↑ Caspase-9/3 Programmed cell death Same colon cancer study shows shikonin increases caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity (mitochondria-mediated apoptosis) (ref)
6 ER stress / UPR (PERK → eIF2α → CHOP) ↑ Proteotoxic stress apoptosis signaling Colon cancer: shikonin-induced apoptosis mediated by PERK/eIF2α/CHOP ER-stress pathway (ref)
7 Autophagic flux (autophagosome–lysosome completion) ↓ autophagic flux (blocked) ROS + apoptosis amplification Colorectal cancer: shikonin induces ROS and apoptosis by inhibiting autophagic flux (ref)
8 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity Reduced pro-survival transcription Pancreatic cancer xenograft/mechanistic study: shikonin suppresses NF-κB activity and NF-κB–regulated gene products (ref)
9 PI3K–AKT–mTOR (stemness / chemoresistance axis) ↓ PI3K/AKT/mTOR Reduced survival & stemness Chemoresistant lung cancer CSC context: shikonin attenuates PI3K–Akt–mTOR pathway and reduces cancer stemness (ref)
10 Cell cycle control (p21; G2/M arrest) ↑ p21 / ↑ G2/M arrest Proliferation block Gastric cancer (AGS): shikonin induces cell-cycle arrest linked to p21 regulation (ref)
11 Invasion / metastasis programs (NF-κB-linked) ↓ invasion Anti-invasive phenotype Reports shikonin inhibits tumor invasion via down-regulation of NF-κB–related mechanisms in a high-metastatic tumor model (ref)
12 Chemosensitization via glycolysis suppression ↓ glycolysis / ↑ cisplatin sensitivity Combination benefit NSCLC: shikonin inhibits glycolysis and sensitizes cells to cisplatin (explicitly connecting metabolic suppression to chemosensitization) (ref)


hepatoP, L,hepatoprotective: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Hepatoprotective is the ability of a chemical substance to prevent damage to the liver.

Grapefruit:
-hepatoprotective potential has emerged from the study of naringenin and naringin.
Blueberries/cranberries:
-proanthocyanidins
Grape:
Nopal (Cactus pear) and tuna (Cactus pear fruit) “Opuntia ficus-indica”:
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla or Chamomilla recutita):
Silymarin (Silybum marianum):
Blue green algae spirulina :
Propolis (bee glue):

POLYSACCHARIDES
β-glucans
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
3042- SK,    The protective effects of Shikonin on lipopolysaccharide/D -galactosamine-induced acute liver injury via inhibiting MAPK and NF-kB and activating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways
- in-vivo, Nor, NA
*TNF-α↓, Our results showed that SHK treatment distinctly decreased serum TNF-a, IL-1b, IL-6 and IFN-g inflammatory cytokine production
*IL1β↓,
*IL6↓,
*IFN-γ↓,
*ALAT↓, , reduced serum ALT, AST, hepatic MPO and ROS production levels,
*AST↓,
*MPO↓,
*ROS↓,
*JNK↓, inhibited JNK1/2, ERK1/2, p38 and NF-kB (p65) phosphorylation, and suppressed IkBa phosphorylation and degradation.
*ERK↓,
*p38↓,
*NF-kB↓,
*p‑IKKα↓,
*SOD↑, SHK could dramatically increase SOD and GSH production, as well as reduce ROS production,
*GSH↑,
*HO-1↑, through up-regulating the protein expression of HO-1, Nqo1, Gclc and Gclm, which was related to the induction of Nrf2 nuclear translocation.
*NRF2↑,
*hepatoP↑,

2415- SK,    Shikonin induces programmed death of fibroblast synovial cells in rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting energy pathways
- in-vivo, Arthritis, NA
Apoptosis?, shikonin induced apoptosis and autophagy in RA-FLSs by activating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibiting intracellular ATP levels, glycolysis-related proteins, and the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway.
TumAuto↑,
ROS↑,
ATP↓,
Glycolysis↓, shikonin can inhibit RA-glycolysis in FLSs
PI3K↓,
Akt↓,
mTOR↓,
*Apoptosis↓, Shikonin can significantly reduce the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, paw swelling in rat arthritic tissues, and the levels of inflammatory factors in peripheral blood, such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-1β while showing less
*Inflam↓,
*TNF-α↓,
*IL6↓,
*IL8↓,
*IL10↓,
*IL17↓,
*hepatoP↑, while showing less toxicity to the liver and kidney.
*RenoP↑,
PKM2↓, The expression of glycogen proteins PKM2, GLUT1, and HK2 decreased with increasing concentrations of shikonin
GLUT1↓,
HK2↓,

2011- SK,    Shikonin Attenuates Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity by Upregulation of Nrf2 through Akt/GSK3β Signaling
- in-vitro, Nor, HL7702 - in-vivo, Nor, NA
*NRF2↑, Shikonin (SHK) enhances Nrf2 in multiple lines of normal cells.
*hepatoP↑, SHK defended APAP-induced liver toxicity, as well as reversed the levels of serum alanine/aspartate aminotransferases (ALT/AST), liver myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), while it enhanced the liver glutathione (GSH) le
*ALAT↓, reversed the levels of serum alanine/aspartate aminotransferases (ALT/AST)
*AST↓,
*MPO↓,
*ROS↓, neutralized oxidative stress in APAP-treated human normal liver L-02 cells
*GSH↑, enhanced the liver glutathione (GSH) level in APAP-treated mice


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 3

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

ROS↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

ATP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Glycolysis↓, 1,   HK2↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis?, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

TumAuto↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

mTOR↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT1↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 11

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSH↑, 2,   HO-1↑, 1,   MPO↓, 2,   NRF2↑, 2,   ROS↓, 2,   SOD↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 2,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↓, 1,   JNK↓, 1,   p38↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ERK↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

IFN-γ↓, 1,   p‑IKKα↓, 1,   IL10↓, 1,   IL17↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   IL8↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 2,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 2,   AST↓, 2,   IL6↓, 2,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

hepatoP↑, 3,   RenoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 26

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: hepatoP, L,hepatoprotective
3 Shikonin
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#:150  Target#:1179  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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