Database Query Results : Boron, , ERK

Bor, Boron: Click to Expand ⟱
Features: micronutrient
Boron is a trace mineral.
Used in treating yeast infections, improving athletic performance, or preventing osteoporosis.

Current research suggests that boric acid can modulate intercellular calcium levels—with potential implications for cancer therapy—by:
-Altering calcium channel activity and calcium influx,
-Modifying downstream calcium-dependent signaling, and
-Inducing apoptotic pathways preferentially in cancer cells due to their altered calcium handling dynamics.
Abnormal increases in [Ca²⁺]ᵢ can trigger mitochondrial dysfunction and activate calcium-dependent apoptotic pathways. Boric acid has been observed in some cell culture studies to induce apoptosis in cancer cells.
In normal cells, modest changes in [Ca²⁺]ᵢ induced by boric acid may not reach a threshold that triggers apoptosis or other stress responses. This could lead to a relative sparing of normal cells compared to cancer cells.

Pathways:
1.Calcium Signaling Pathway
In many cases, boron appears to normalize dysregulated calcium levels in cancer cells, often leading to an increase in calcium levels that can trigger calcium-dependent apoptotic pathways. 2.Apoptotic Pathways (Intrinsic and Extrinsic).
Direction of Modulation:
• Boron compounds may enhance the activation of apoptotic cascades.
• Typically, an increase in intracellular calcium (as noted above) can further lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, and subsequent caspase activation, thereby promoting apoptosis.
3.PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway
• Some studies indicate that boron-containing compounds can inhibit this pathway.
• Inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling reduces survival signals and can decrease cellular proliferation and growth in tumor cell.
4.MAPK/ERK Pathway
Boron may modulate the MAPK/ERK cascade by either dampening overactive mitogenic signals or altering the stress response.
• This modulation can lead to reduced proliferation signals and may promote cell cycle arrest in cancer cells.
5.NF-κB Signaling Pathway
• Some reports indicate that boron compounds can suppress NF-κB activity.
• This suppression might be achieved indirectly through modulation of upstream signals (such as changes in calcium or the cellular redox status) leading to decreased transcription of pro-survival and pro-inflammatory genes.
6.Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway
• Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling may interfere with proliferation and the maintenance of cancer stem cell populations.

ROS:
-ROS induction may be dose related.
-Some studies report that when boron compounds are combined with other treatments (like chemotherapy or radiotherapy), there is a synergistic increase in ROS generation.
Boron’s effects in a cancer context generally lean toward:
• Normalizing dysregulated calcium signaling to push cells toward apoptotic death
• Inhibiting pro-survival pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR and NF-κB

(1) is essential for the growth and maintenance of bone;
(2) greatly improves wound healing;
(3) beneficially impacts the body's use of estrogen, testosterone, and vitamin D;
(4) boosts magnesium absorption;
(5) reduces levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α);
(6) raises levels of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase;
(7) protects against pesticide-induced oxidative stress and heavy-metal toxicity;
(8) improves the brains electrical activity, cognitive performance, and short-term memory for elders;
(9) influences the formation and activity of key biomolecules, such as S-adenosyl methionine (SAM-e) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+));
(10) has demonstrated preventive and therapeutic effects in a number of cancers, such as prostate, cervical, and lung cancers, and multiple and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; and
(11) may help ameliorate the adverse effects of traditional chemotherapeutic agents.

-Note half-life 21 hrs average
BioAv very high, 85-100%
Pathways:
- induce ROS productionin cancer cells, while reducing ROS in normal cells.
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑,(contrary) Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑,(contrary) HSP↓,
- Debateable if Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓(most contrary), SOD↓(some contrary), GSH↓, Catalase↓(some contrary), HO1↓(contrary), GPx↓(some contrary)
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : NLRP3↓, IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓,
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, IGF-1↓, VEGF↓, RhoA↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, P53↑, HSP↓,
- some indication of Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, ERK, EMT↓,
- small indication of inhibiting glycolysis : HIF-1α↓, cMyc↓, GRP78↑, Glucose↓,
- small indication of inhibiting angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, ERK, - 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

Boron Pathways for Cancer vs Normal cells
Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Label Primary Interpretation Notes
1 Hormone / growth factor signaling (IGF-1, steroid modulation) ↓ growth-factor-driven proliferation ↔ optimized endocrine balance Driver Systemic growth signal modulation Boron influences IGF-1, estrogen, and androgen signaling, indirectly reducing proliferative drive in hormone-responsive tumors
2 Inflammatory signaling (NF-κB / cytokines) ↓ pro-tumor inflammation ↓ inflammatory tone Driver Anti-inflammatory environment Reduced chronic inflammation limits tumor-promoting microenvironmental signals
3 Cell membrane / signal transduction stability ↓ aberrant signaling responsiveness ↑ membrane and signaling stability Secondary Signal fidelity normalization Boron supports membrane function and receptor signaling fidelity rather than directly inhibiting kinases
4 Mineral metabolism (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, vitamin D interaction) ↔ indirect growth restraint ↑ mineral homeostasis Secondary Metabolic support vs dysregulation buffering Improved mineral balance supports normal cell resilience and systemic metabolic health
5 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS (secondary, cancer-biased) ↔ or ↓ ROS (buffered) Secondary Metabolic-stress–linked oxidative pressure ROS increase reflects impaired redox buffering and metabolic stress rather than direct redox chemistry
6 Glutathione (GSH) homeostasis ↓ GSH availability ↔ maintained Secondary Reduced antioxidant capacity GSH depletion arises from impaired synthesis and NADPH support in cancer cells
7 Apoptosis ↔ minimal induction ↔ protected Phenotypic Non-cytotoxic profile Boron does not act as a direct apoptotic trigger
Distinct from compounds of main Redox Driver
| Compound            | ROS ↑ mechanism             | Category            |
| ------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------- |
| PEITC               | Direct electrophilic stress | Redox driver        |
| Selenium (selenite) | Redox cycling               | Redox driver        |
| Thymoquinone        | Quinone cycling             | Redox driver        |
| **Boron**           | Metabolic redox imbalance   | **Secondary redox** |



ERK, ERK signaling: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
MAPK3 (ERK1)
ERK proteins are kinases that activate other proteins by adding a phosphate group. An overactivation of these proteins causes the cell cycle to stop.
The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway is a crucial component of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade, which plays a significant role in regulating various cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, and survival. high levels of phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) in tumor samples may indicate active ERK signaling and could correlate with aggressive tumor behavior

EEk singaling is frequently activated and is often associated with aggressive tumor behavior, treatment resistance, and poor outcomes.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
709- Bor,    Cellular changes in boric acid-treated DU-145 prostate cancer cells
- in-vitro, Pca, DU145
Cyc↓, dose-dependent reduction in cyclins A–E
MAPK↓,
TumCMig↓,
LAMP2↓,
p‑ERK⇅, Phosphorylated ERK (P-ERK1/2) increased at intermediate exposures (100 and 250 μM), relative to control, but was reduced by higher concentrations of BA
TumCM/A↑, BA induces media acidosis

726- Bor,    Redox Mechanisms Underlying the Cytostatic Effects of Boric Acid on Cancer Cells—An Issue Still Open
- Review, NA, NA
NAD↝, high affinity for the ribose moieties of NAD+
SAM-e↝, high affinity for S-adenosylmethione
PSA↓,
IGF-1↓,
Cyc↓, reduction in cyclins A–E
P21↓,
p‑MEK↓,
p‑ERK↓, ERK (P-ERK1/2)
ROS↑, induce oxidative stress by decreasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)
SOD↓,
Catalase↓,
MDA↑,
GSH↓,
IL1↓, IL-1α
IL6↓,
TNF-α↓,
BRAF↝,
MAPK↝,
PTEN↝,
PI3K/Akt↝,
eIF2α↑,
ATF4↑,
ATF6↑,
NRF2↑,
BAX↑,
BID↑,
Casp3↑,
Casp9↑,
Bcl-2↓,
Bcl-xL↓,


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 2

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

Catalase↓, 1,   GSH↓, 1,   MDA↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↑, 1,   SAM-e↝, 1,   SOD↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

p‑MEK↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

NAD↝, 1,   PI3K/Akt↝, 1,   TumCM/A↑, 1,  

Cell Death

BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   BID↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   MAPK↓, 1,   MAPK↝, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress

ATF6↑, 1,   eIF2α↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes

LAMP2↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

Cyc↓, 2,   P21↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

BRAF↝, 1,   p‑ERK↓, 1,   p‑ERK⇅, 1,   IGF-1↓, 1,   PTEN↝, 1,  

Migration

TumCMig↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

ATF4↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

IL1↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   PSA↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

BRAF↝, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   PSA↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 38

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: ERK, ERK signaling
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#:46  Target#:105  State#:%  Dir#:%
wNotes=on sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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