Database Query Results : Shikonin, , cycD1/CCND1

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)


cycD1/CCND1, cyclin D1 pathway: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Also called CCND1 Gatekeeper of Cell-Cycle Commitment
The main function of cyclin D1 is to maintain cell cycle and to promote cell proliferation. Cyclin D1 is a key regulatory protein involved in the cell cycle, particularly in the transition from the G1 phase to the S phase. It is part of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complex, where it binds to CDK4 or CDK6 to promote cell cycle progression.
Cyclin D1 is crucial for the regulation of the cell cycle. Overexpression or dysregulation of cyclin D1 can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation, a hallmark of cancer.
Cyclin D1 is often found to be overexpressed in various cancers.
Cyclin D1 can interact with tumor suppressor proteins, such as retinoblastoma (Rb). When cyclin D1 is overexpressed, it can lead to the phosphorylation and inactivation of Rb, releasing E2F transcription factors that promote the expression of genes required for DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression.
Cyclin D1 is influenced by various signaling pathways, including the PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways, which are often activated in cancer.
In some cancers, high levels of cyclin D1 expression have been associated with poor prognosis, making it a potential biomarker for cancer progression and treatment response.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2230- SK,    Shikonin induces ROS-based mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in colon cancer
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCG↓, shikonin suppressed the growth of colon cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo
Bcl-2↓, Shikonin induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, which was regulated by Bcl-2 family proteins.
ROS↑, found that shikonin dose-dependently increased the generation of intracellular ROS in colon cancer cells
Bcl-xL↓, generation of ROS, down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of the caspase cascade
MMP↓,
Casp↑,
selectivity↑, shikonin presented minimal toxicity to non-neoplastic colon cells and no liver injury in xenograft models
cycD1/CCND1↓, Cyclin D expression was decreased with shikonin treatment
TumCCA↑, induced cell growth inhibition by the induction G1 cell cycle arrest.
eff↓, NAC or GSH could block the shikonin-dependent burst of intracellular ROS

2229- SK,    Shikonin induces apoptosis and prosurvival autophagy in human melanoma A375 cells via ROS-mediated ER stress and p38 pathways
- in-vitro, Melanoma, A375
Apoptosis↑, Shikonin induces apoptosis and autophagy in A375 cells and inhibits their proliferation
TumAuto↑,
TumCP↓,
TumCCA↑, Shikonin caused G2/M phase arrest through upregulation of p21 and downregulation of cyclin B1
P21↑,
cycD1/CCND1↓,
ER Stress↑, Shikonin significantly triggered ER stress-mediated apoptosis by upregulating the expression of p-eIF2α, CHOP, and cleaved caspase-3.
p‑eIF2α↑,
CHOP↑,
cl‑Casp3↑,
p38↑, induced protective autophagy by activating the p38 pathway, followed by an increase in the levels of p-p38, LC3B-II, and Beclin 1
LC3B-II↑,
Beclin-1↑,
ROS↑, Shikonin increased the production of reactive oxygen species
eff↓, NAC treatment significantly decreased the expression of p-p38, LC3B-II, and Beclin 1.

3044- SK,    Shikonin Inhibits Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer H1299 Cell Growth through Survivin Signaling Pathway
- in-vitro, Lung, H1299 - in-vitro, Lung, H460
TumCP↓, Results showed that shikonin inhibited the NSCLC H1299 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner.
survivin↓, Shikonin also inhibited the mRNA expression and protein level of survivin in H1299 cells
TumCCA↓, Shikonin arrested H1299 cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase by regulating CDK/cyclin family members
CDK2↓,
CDK4↓,
XIAP↓, shikonin regulated the expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis- (XIAP-) mediated caspases 3 and 9, thus leading to the damage of mitochondrial membrane potential and induction of H1299 cell apoptosis.
Casp3↑, subsequently regulates the protein expression of XIAP/caspase 3/9, CDK2/4, and cyclin E/D1.
Casp9↑,
cycD1/CCND1↓, downregulated the protein levels of CDK2, CDK4, cyclin E, and cyclin D1
cycE/CCNE↓,

3047- SK,    Shikonin suppresses colon cancer cell growth and exerts synergistic effects by regulating ADAM17 and the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vitro, CRC, SW48
TumCG↓, SKN inhibited colon cancer cell growth, suppressed both constitutive and IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation, and downregulated the expression of ADAM17
p‑STAT3↓,
ADAM17↓,
Apoptosis↑, SKN promoted cell apoptosis, as evidenced by increased expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP in both cell lines
Casp3↑,
cl‑PARP↑,
cycD1/CCND1↓, SKN decreased the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E1, thus suggesting the disruption of the cell cycle and the suppression of cell growth
cycE/CCNE↓,
TumCCA↑,
JAK1?, The inhibitory effects of SKN on the phosphorylation of both JAK1 and JAK2 in the two cell lines were also observed
p‑JAK1↓,
p‑JAK2↓,
p‑eIF2α↑, phosphorylation levels of eIF2α were enhanced by SKN (20 µM) in the HCT116 and SW480 colon cancer cells
eff↓, NAC decreased SKN-induced p-eIF2α expression and reversed the SKN-mediated downregulation of ADAM17 protein expression
ROS↑, suppressed the expression of ADAM17 mediated by ROS-associated p-eIF2α expression in the HCT116 and SW480 colon cancer cells
IL6↓, demonstrated that the antitumor effects of SKN on colon cancer cells were associated with its inhibition of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway.

2194- SK,    Efficacy of Shikonin against Esophageal Cancer Cells and its possible mechanisms in vitro and in vivo
- in-vitro, ESCC, Eca109 - in-vitro, ESCC, EC9706 - in-vivo, NA, NA
tumCV↓, Shikonin reduced esophageal cancer cells viability and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
TumCCA↑,
Apoptosis↑,
EGFR↓, Shikonin decreased EGFR, PI3K, p-AKT, HIF1α and PKM2 expression
PI3K↓,
Hif1a↓,
PKM2↓,
cycD1/CCND1↓, shikonin reduced the expression of PKM2, HIF1α and cyclinD1 in tumor tissues
AntiTum↑, shikonin has a powerful antitumor effect in vivo.


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 5

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

ROS↑, 3,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

MMP↓, 1,   XIAP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

PKM2↓, 1,  

Cell Death

Apoptosis↑, 3,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   Casp↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 2,   cl‑Casp3↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   p38↑, 1,   survivin↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

tumCV↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress

CHOP↑, 1,   p‑eIF2α↑, 2,   ER Stress↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes

Beclin-1↑, 1,   LC3B-II↑, 1,   TumAuto↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair

cl‑PARP↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

CDK2↓, 1,   CDK4↓, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 5,   cycE/CCNE↓, 2,   P21↑, 1,   TumCCA↓, 1,   TumCCA↑, 4,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

PI3K↓, 1,   p‑STAT3↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 2,  

Migration

TumCP↓, 2,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

EGFR↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

IL6↓, 1,   JAK1?, 1,   p‑JAK1↓, 1,   p‑JAK2↓, 1,  

Cellular Microenvironment

ADAM17↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

eff↓, 3,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

EGFR↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

AntiTum↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 44

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: cycD1/CCND1, cyclin D1 pathway
5 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#:73  State#:%  Dir#:%
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