Database Query Results : Ashwagandha(Withaferin A), , TumCG

Ash, Ashwagandha(Withaferin A): Click to Expand ⟱

Features:

Ashwagandha (Withaferin A) — Withaferin A (WA; WFA) is a bioactive steroidal lactone (a “withanolide”) found in Withania somnifera (ashwagandha/Indian ginseng), with most translational oncology discussion centered on WA as a small-molecule electrophile rather than the whole-herb supplement. It is best classified as a natural-product small molecule (steroidal lactone/withanolide) with pleiotropic proteostasis, cytoskeletal, redox-stress, and inflammatory signaling effects; in supplements, WA exposure depends strongly on extract standardization (root vs leaf, % withanolides) and formulation.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

Hsp90-axis disruption (incl. client protein destabilization) leading to proteostasis stress and multi-client oncoprotein depletion
Covalent targeting of intermediate filaments (notably vimentin) with downstream effects on adhesion/migration, EMT programs, and angiogenic endothelium
Pro-oxidative stress signaling in cancer cells with mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress/UPR engagement, and apoptosis execution
Inflammation and survival signaling suppression (notably NF-κB-centric programs; context-dependent immune modulation)
Contextual transcriptional/epigenetic modulation (e.g., HDAC/DNMT-related signals) contributing to anti-proliferative phenotypes
Metabolic stress signaling (glycolysis/HIF-1α/ATP depletion) as a secondary vulnerability in susceptible models

Bioavailability / PK relevance: WA shows measurable systemic exposure in animals (reported oral bioavailability in rats), but PK is variable across species, doses, and extract matrices; human exposure data exist from a phase I osteosarcoma study and from healthy-volunteer PK work on standardized Withania extracts measuring circulating withanolides (including WA). WA is lipophilic and subject to first-pass metabolism; typical pharmacodynamic in-vitro micromolar concentrations may exceed achievable unbound plasma levels depending on formulation and dosing.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many mechanistic cancer studies use ~1–10 µM WA; translation requires caution because free (unbound) systemic concentrations and tumor penetration are not well-constrained in humans, and whole-extract products can have low/variable WA content (model- and formulation-dependent).

Clinical evidence status: Limited human oncology evidence: a phase I study in advanced high-grade osteosarcoma reported feasibility/safety and proposed a daily dose level; an active clinical trial evaluates an ashwagandha/withaferin-A strategy with liposomal doxorubicin in recurrent ovarian cancer. Most anticancer support remains preclinical, while non-oncology human data for ashwagandha primarily address stress/sleep and are not evidence of anticancer efficacy.

The main active constituents of Ashwagandha leaves are alkaloids and steroidal lactones (commonly known as Withanolides).
-The main constituents of ashwagandha are withanolides such as withaferin A, alkaloids, steroidal lactones, tropine, and cuscohygrine.
Ashwagandha is an herb that may reduce stress, anxiety, and insomnia.
*-Ashwagandha is often characterized as an antioxidant.
-Some studies suggest that while ashwagandha may protect normal cells from oxidative damage, it can simultaneously stress cancer cells by tipping their redox balance toward cytotoxicity.
Pathways:
-Induction of Apoptosis and ROS Generation
-Hsp90 Inhibition and Proteasomal Degradation

Cell culture studies vary widely, typically ranging from low micromolar (e.g., 1–10 µM).
In animal models (commonly mice), Withaferin A has been administered in doses ranging from approximately 2 to 10 mg/kg body weight.
- General wellness, Ashwagandha supplements are sometimes taken in doses ranging from 300 mg to 600 mg of an extract (often standardized to contain a certain percentage of withanolides) once or twice daily.
- 400mg of WS extract was given 3X/day to schizophrenia patients. report#2001.
- Ashwagandha Pure 400mg/capsule is available from mcsformulas.com.

-Note half-life 4-6 hrs?.
BioAv
Pathways:
- well-recognized for promoting ROS in cancer cells, while no effect(or reduction) on normal cells.
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, Prx,
- Confusing results about Lowering AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓, TrxR↓**, SOD↓, GSH↓ Catalase↓ HO1↓ GPx↓
- 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, uPA↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, SDF1↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓(combined with sulfor), DNMT1↓, DNMT3A↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓, TET↑
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, β-catenin↓, sox2↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, α↓, ERK↓, JNK,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Mechanistic pathway map for Ashwagandha (Withaferin A) in cancer biology

Rank	Pathway / Axis	Cancer Cells	Normal Cells	TSF	Primary Effect	Notes / Interpretation
1	Hsp90 proteostasis axis	Hsp90 functional inhibition → client proteins ↓ (Akt/EGFR/HER2/Raf/Cdk etc.) → growth/survival signaling ↓	Stress-response engagement possible; tolerability is dose/formulation dependent	R	Multi-node oncogenic network destabilization	Often presented as ATP-independent Hsp90 inhibition with downstream proteasomal degradation of clients; mechanistically central because it collapses multiple driver pathways at once.
2	Vimentin and intermediate filament remodeling	Vimentin function/organization ↓ → migration/invasion ↓, EMT programs ↓ (context-dependent)	Endothelial and stromal cytoskeleton can be affected; may underlie anti-angiogenic activity	P	Anti-motility / anti-metastatic leverage	WA behaves as a reactive small molecule with reported covalent interaction with vimentin; cytoskeletal perturbation can be rapid and not strictly transcription-driven.
3	Mitochondrial ROS increase	ROS ↑ → ΔΨm ↓, cyt-c ↑, caspase cascade ↑ → apoptosis ↑	Often ROS ↔ or ↓ with antioxidant response ↑ (model-dependent)	P/R	Selective redox toxicity in susceptible tumors	Frequently paired with ER stress/UPR activation; selectivity is commonly framed as “push cancer over its redox limit,” but this is highly dose- and context-dependent.
4	ER stress and UPR axis	ER stress ↑, UPR ↑ → proteotoxic stress → apoptosis/autophagy shifts (model-dependent)	Adaptive UPR may occur; excessive dosing can stress normal tissues	R	Proteotoxic stress amplification	Mechanistically synergistic with Hsp90 disruption and ROS signaling; can manifest as GRP78/BiP and related markers ↑ in some systems.
5	NF-κB inflammatory survival signaling	NF-κB ↓ → cytokine/pro-survival programs ↓, invasion-associated signaling ↓	Anti-inflammatory signaling ↓ may be beneficial in some contexts; immune effects can be mixed	G	Survival/inflammation program suppression	Often aligned with COX-2 and inflammasome-related readouts in inflammatory models; oncology relevance is strongest where NF-κB is a core survival node.
6	EMT and metastasis signaling	EMT ↓, MMPs ↓, uPA ↓, CXCR4/SDF1 axis ↓ (model-dependent)	Wound-healing programs can be affected (context-dependent)	G	Anti-invasive phenotype	Partly downstream of cytoskeletal (vimentin) effects and NF-κB/TGF-β-linked programs; directionality can vary by tumor lineage and assay.
7	Glycolysis and HIF-1α	HIF-1α ↓, glycolysis flux ↓, ATP ↓ (susceptible models)	Usually ↔ at low exposure; metabolic stress possible at higher exposure	G	Metabolic vulnerability unmasking	Often secondary to upstream stress (ROS/proteostasis) rather than a primary enzymatic inhibitor; interpret as (context-dependent).
8	Cell cycle checkpoint control	Cell-cycle arrest ↑ (often G2/M reported), CDK/cyclin signaling ↓	Proliferating normal cells may also be sensitive at higher exposure	G	Anti-proliferative enforcement	Common phenotype readout across WA studies; mechanistic “why” may differ by model (proteostasis vs ROS vs mitotic machinery/cytoskeleton).
9	NRF2 and antioxidant defense	NRF2 ↓ and antioxidant enzymes ↓ reported in some cancer models; sometimes mixed ↔	NRF2 ↑ and antioxidant enzymes ↑ reported in some normal-tissue protection contexts	G	Redox buffering divergence	Highly model-dependent; WA can behave as a stressor that either suppresses or activates NRF2-linked programs depending on timing, dose, and baseline redox state.
10	Clinical Translation Constraint	Micromolar in-vitro dosing common; human oncology exposure/target engagement remains sparsely defined	Supplement heterogeneity (WA content), drug-interaction risk, and organ-specific toxicity signals (notably liver; thyroid) constrain use	—	Formulation + PK + safety gating	Human data exist (phase I osteosarcoma; ongoing ovarian combo), but WA is not an approved anticancer drug and standardized products/target engagement biomarkers are not yet mature.

TSF legend: P: 0–30 min R: 30 min–3 hr G: >3 hr

TumCG, Tumor cell growth: Click to Expand ⟱

Source:

Type:

Normal cells grow and divide in a regulated manner through the cell cycle, which consists of phases (G1, S, G2, and M).
Cancer cells often bypass these regulatory mechanisms, leading to uncontrolled proliferation. This can result from mutations in genes that control the cell cycle, such as oncogenes (which promote cell division) and tumor suppressor genes (which inhibit cell division).

Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱

5398-

Ash,

Withaferin-A inhibits colorectal cancer growth and metastasis by targeting the HSP90/HIF-1α/EMT axis

in-vitro,

CRC,

HCT116

in-vitro,

CRC,

SW48

TumCG↓, WA inhibits CRC’s growth, migration, and invasion by inhibiting the HSP90/HIF-1α/EMT axis.
TumCMig↓,
TumCI↓,
HSP90↓,
Hif1a↓,
EMT↓,

5395-

Ash,

Withaferin A Targets Heat Shock Protein 90 in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

vitro+vivo,

PC,

PANC1

1.24uM

in-vitro,

PC,

MIA PaCa-2

2.93 uM

TumCP↓, Withaferin A exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against pancreatic cancer cells in vitro
HSP90↓, WA inhibited Hsp90 chaperone activity to induce degradation of Hsp90 client proteins (Akt, Cdk4 and glucocorticoid receptor)
Akt↓,
CDK4↓,
TumCG↓, WA (3, 6 mg/kg) inhibited tumor growth in pancreatic Panc-1 xenografts by 30% and 58%, respectively.
Apoptosis↑, Withaferin A induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells
AntiCan↑, Withaferin A exhibits anticancer activity in pancreatic cancer xenografts

5173-

Ash,

2DG,

Withaferin A inhibits lysosomal activity to block autophagic flux and induces apoptosis via energetic impairment in breast cancer cells

in-vitro,

BC,

MCF-7

in-vitro,

BC,

MDA-MB-231

in-vitro,

BC,

MDA-MB-468

in-vitro,

BC,

T47D

autoF↓, WFA blocks autophagy flux and lysosomal proteolytic activity in breast cancer cells.
lysosome↓, WFA treatment inhibits lysosomal activity
TumAuto↑, WFA increases accumulation of autophagosomes, LC3B-II conversion, expression of autophagy-related proteins and autophagosome/lysosome fusion.
p‑LDH↓, WFA decreases expression and phosphorylation of lactate dehydrogenase, the key enzyme that catalyzes pyruvate-to-lactate conversion
ATP↓, reduces adenosine triphosphate levels and increases AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation.
AMPK↑,
eff↑, WFA and 2-deoxy-d-glucose combination elicits synergistic inhibition of breast cancer cells.
TumCG↓, WFA inhibits breast cancer growth and increases intracellular autophagosomes and autophagy markers
CTSD↓, we found that WFA impaired the maturation of Cathepsin D (CTSD)
CTSB↓, Inhibition of CTSD maturation also indicated reduced CTSB and CTSL activity as they are essential for the cleavage of CTSD.
CTSL↑,
cl‑PARP1↑, WFA and 2-DG treatment also showed higher cleavage of PARP1 in breast cancer cells
LDHA↓, WFA treatment effectively reduces the expression of LDHA in breast cancer cells
TCA↓, d leads to insufficient substrates for TCA cycle,

5171-

Ash,

The tumor proteasome is a primary target for the natural anticancer compound Withaferin A isolated from "Indian winter cherry"

vitro+vivo,

Pca,

LNCaP

mice

vitro+vivo,

Pca,

PC3

Proteasome↓, inhibition of the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity by WA in vivo is responsible for, or contributes to, the antitumor effect of this ancient medicinal compound.
BAX↑, WA results in accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and three proteasome target proteins (Bax, p27, and IkappaB-alpha) accompanied by androgen receptor protein suppression (in androgen-dependent LNCaP cells) and apoptosis induction.
p27↑,
AR↓,
TumCG↓, Treatment of human prostate PC-3 xenografts with WA for 24 days resulted in 70% inhibition of tumor growth in nude mice

4660-

Ash,

Withaferin A Alone and in Combination with Cisplatin Suppresses Growth and Metastasis of Ovarian Cancer by Targeting Putative Cancer Stem Cells

in-vitro,

Ovarian,

CSCs↓, Herein we show for the first time that withaferin A (WFA), a bioactive compound isolated from the plant Withania somnifera, when used alone or in combination with cisplatin (CIS) targets putative CSCs.
TumCG↓, 70 to 80% reduction in tumor growth and complete inhibition of metastasis to other organs compared to untreated controls.
TumMeta↓,
CD44↓, highly significant elimination of cells expressing CSC markers - CD44, CD24, CD34, CD117 and Oct4 and downregulation of Notch1, Hes1 and Hey1 genes.
CD34↓,
OCT4↓,
NOTCH1↓,
HEY1↓,

1356-

Ash,

Withaferin A induces apoptosis by ROS-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in human colorectal cancer cells

in-vitro,

CRC,

HCT116

ROS↑,
TumCCA↑,
MMP↓,
TumCG↓,
Apoptosis↑,
JNK↝,

1363-

Ash,

doxoR,

Withaferin A Synergizes the Therapeutic Effect of Doxorubicin through ROS-Mediated Autophagy in Ovarian Cancer

in-vitro,

Ovarian,

A2780S

in-vitro,

Ovarian,

CaOV3

in-vivo,

NA,

in vivo xenograft model of ovarian cancer.

ChemoSen↑, thus reducing the dosage requirement of Dox
ROS↑,
DNAdam↑, immense DNA damage
TumCCA↑,
LC3B↑,
TumCG↓, 70 to 80% reduction in tumor growth
cl‑Casp3↑,

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 7

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiCan↑, 1,
Total Targets: 45

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: TumCG, Tumor cell growth

7 Ashwagandha(Withaferin A)
1 2-DeoxyGlucose
1 doxorubicin

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#:36  Target#:323  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

Database Query Results : Ashwagandha(Withaferin A), , TumCG

Mechanistic pathway map for Ashwagandha (Withaferin A) in cancer biology

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Cell Death ⓘ

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

Migration ⓘ

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

Hormonal & Nuclear Receptors ⓘ

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

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