Database Query Results : Curcumin, , Iron

CUR, Curcumin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in Tumeric. Member of the ginger family.Curcumin is a polyphenol extracted from turmeric with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
- Has iron-chelating, iron-chelating properties. Ferritin. But still known to increase Iron in Cancer cells.
- GSH depletion in cancer cells, exhaustion of the antioxidant defense system. But still raises GSH↑ in normal cells.
- Higher concentrations (5-10 μM) of curcumin induce autophagy and ROS production
- Inhibition of TrxR, shifting the enzyme from an antioxidant to a prooxidant
- Strong inhibitor of Glo-I, , causes depletion of cellular ATP and GSH
- Curcumin has been found to act as an activator of Nrf2, (maybe bad in cancer cells?), hence could be combined with Nrf2 knockdown
-may suppress CSC: suppresses self-renewal and pathways (Wnt/Notch/Hedgehog).
Clinical studies testing curcumin in cancer patients have used a range of dosages, often between 500 mg and 8 g per day; however, many studies note that doses on the lower end may not achieve sufficient plasma concentrations for a therapeutic anticancer effect in humans.
• Formulations designed to improve curcumin absorption (like curcumin combined with piperine, nanoparticle formulations, or liposomal curcumin) are often employed in clinical trials to enhance its bioavailability.

-Note half-life 6 hrs.
BioAv is poor, use piperine or other enhancers
Pathways:
- induce ROS production at high concentration. Lowers ROS at lower concentrations
curcumin can act as a pro-oxidant when blue light is applied
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: GSH↓ Catalase↓ HO1↓ GPx↓
but conversely is known as a NRF2↑ activator in cancer
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, SDF1↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMT1↓, DNMT3A↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓,
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓, TET1↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, HK2↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, FGF↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, CK2↓, Hh↓, GLi1↓, CD133↓, CD24↓, β-catenin↓, n-myc↓, sox2↓, OCT4↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK↓, ERK↓, JNK, TrxR**,
- 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 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activation ↓ inflammatory NF-κB tone Driver Suppression of survival and inflammatory transcription NF-κB is a primary, repeatedly validated curcumin target explaining pleiotropic downstream effects
2 STAT3 signaling ↓ STAT3 phosphorylation / activity ↔ or mild suppression Driver Loss of pro-survival and proliferative signaling STAT3 inhibition contributes to growth arrest, apoptosis sensitization, and reduced cytokine signaling in tumors
3 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS (dose- & context-dependent) ↓ ROS / buffered Conditional Driver Biphasic redox modulation Curcumin can act as a pro-oxidant in cancer cells with high basal stress while acting antioxidant in normal cells
4 Mitochondrial integrity / intrinsic apoptosis ↓ ΔΨm; ↑ caspase activation ↔ preserved Driver Execution of intrinsic apoptosis Mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation occur downstream of NF-κB/STAT3 and ROS effects
5 PI3K → AKT → mTOR axis ↓ AKT / ↓ mTOR ↔ or adaptive suppression Secondary Reduced growth and anabolic signaling AKT/mTOR inhibition contributes to growth suppression and autophagy induction in cancer cells
6 Autophagy ↑ autophagy (protective or pro-death) ↑ adaptive autophagy Secondary Stress adaptation vs cell death Autophagy may be cytoprotective or cooperate with apoptosis depending on context and dose
7 HIF-1α / VEGF hypoxia–angiogenesis axis ↓ HIF-1α; ↓ VEGF ↔ minimal effect Secondary Anti-angiogenic pressure Suppression of hypoxia-driven transcription limits angiogenesis and tumor adaptation
8 Cell cycle regulation ↑ G2/M or G1 arrest ↔ largely spared Phenotypic Cytostatic growth control Cell-cycle arrest reflects upstream signaling and epigenetic effects rather than direct CDK inhibition
9 Migration / invasion (EMT, MMP axis) ↓ migration & invasion Phenotypic Anti-metastatic phenotype Reduced EMT markers and protease activity limit invasive behavior
10 Epigenetic regulation (p300/CBP HAT activity) ↓ histone acetylation ↔ modest Secondary Transcriptional reprogramming Curcumin modulates chromatin via HAT inhibition rather than classic HDAC inhibition


Iron, Iron: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Iron is an essential nutrient that is crucial for various cellular processes, including DNA synthesis, cell proliferation, and oxygen transport.
Cancer cells often have increased iron requirements due to their rapid growth and proliferation. Some tumors can acquire iron through various mechanisms, including upregulating iron transport proteins. This can support their growth and survival.
Excess iron can lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through Fenton reactions, which can cause oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids. This oxidative stress can contribute to cancer development and progression.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2821- CUR,    Antioxidant curcumin induces oxidative stress to kill tumor cells (Review)
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, Curcumin is a plant polyphenol in turmeric root and a potent antioxidant
*NRF2↑, regulation by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, thereby suppressing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-infective and other pharmacological effects
*ROS↓,
*Inflam↓,
ROS↑, Of note, curcumin induces oxidative stress in tumors. curcumin-induced accumulation of ROS in tumors to kill tumor cells has been noted in several studies
p‑ERK↑, Curcumin promoted ERK/JNK phosphorylation, causing elevated ROS levels and triggering mitochondria-dependent apoptosis
ER Stress↑, Curcumin triggered disturbances in Ca2+ homeostasis, leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis
mtDam↑,
Apoptosis↑,
Akt↓, Curcumin inhibited the AKT/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway
mTOR↓,
HO-1↑, Curcumin-induced HO-1 overexpression led to a disturbed intracellular iron distribution and triggered the Fenton reaction
Fenton↑,
GSH↓, Non-small cell lung cancer: Curcumin induced a decrease in GSH and an increase in ROS levels and iron accumulation
Iron↑,
p‑JNK↑, Curcumin causes mitochondrial damage by promoting phosphorylation of ERK and JNK, resulting in the increased release of ROS and cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, thereby triggering a mitochondrion-dependent pathway of apoptosis
Cyt‑c↑,
ATF6↑, thyroid cancer with curcumin, both activating transcription factor (ATF) 6 and the ER stress marker C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were activated by curcumin and Ca2+-ATPase activity was also affected.
CHOP↑,

414- CUR,    Transcriptome Investigation and In Vitro Verification of Curcumin-Induced HO-1 as a Feature of Ferroptosis in Breast Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231
Ferroptosis↑,
Iron↑,
ROS↑,
lipid-P↑,
MDA↑,
GSH↓,
HO-1↑, Curcumin upregulates a variety of ferroptosis target genes related to redox regulation, especially heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).
NRF2↑,
GPx↓,
ROS↑,
Iron↑, curcumin caused marked accumulation of intracellular iron
GPx4↓,
HSP70/HSPA5↑,
ATFs↑, ATF4
CHOP↑, DDIT3
MDA↑,
FTL↑, Curcumin upregulated FTL (encoding ferritin light chain), FTH1
FTH1↑,
BACH1↑,
REL↑, v-rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A
USF1↑,
NFE2L2↑,

404- CUR,    Curcumin induces ferroptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer via activating autophagy
- vitro+vivo, Lung, A549 - vitro+vivo, Lung, H1299
TumAuto↑,
TumCG↓,
TumCP↓,
Iron↑, iron overload
GSH↓, GSH depletion
lipid-P↑, accumulation of intracellular iron and lipid‐reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation
GPx↓, GPX4
mtDam↑, mitochondrial membrane rupture
autolysosome↑,
Beclin-1↑,
LC3s↑,
p62↓,
Ferroptosis↑, via activating autophagy

4904- Sal,  CUR,    Co-delivery of Salinomycin and Curcumin for Cancer Stem Cell Treatment by Inhibition of Cell Proliferation, Cell Cycle Arrest, and Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition
CSCs↓, We determined CD44-targeting co-delivery nanoparticles are highly efficacious against BCSCs by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and limiting epithelial–mesenchymal transition.
TumCCA↑,
EMT↓,
other↝, anti-cancer mechanism of salinomycin is associated with dysregulation of metal ions
TumAuto↑, activation of autophagy-mediated cell death, and inhibition of stem cell maintenance
Iron↑, recent study found that salinomycin and its derivative, ironomycin, exhibited a potent and selective activity against breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) by accumulating and sequestering iron to induce ferroptosis,
Ferroptosis↑,
BioAv↓, challenging to efficiently deliver salinomycin (Sal) to tumor sites due to its hydrophobicity, unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile, and cytotoxicity during systemic drug administration
ROS↑, Our previous studies showed that conjugation of salinomycin with gold nanoparticles can efficiently induce ferroptotic cell death of BCSCs by increasing the generation of ROS, mitochondrial dysfunction, and lipid oxidation with higher iron accumulati
lipid-P↑,
GPx4↓, and GPX-4 inactivation
eff↑, Salinomycin and curcumin were loaded onto poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymeric nanoparticles via double emulsion method to form nanoparticles . salinomycin and curcumin showed improved therapeutic efficiency against BCSCs


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 4

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

Fenton↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↑, 3,   GPx↓, 2,   GPx4↓, 2,   GSH↓, 3,   HO-1↑, 2,   Iron↑, 5,   lipid-P↑, 3,   MDA↑, 2,   NFE2L2↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↑, 4,  

Metal & Cofactor Biology

FTH1↑, 1,   FTL↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

mtDam↑, 2,  

Cell Death

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↑, 3,   p‑JNK↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

other↝, 1,   USF1↑, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress

ATF6↑, 1,   ATFs↑, 1,   CHOP↑, 2,   ER Stress↑, 1,   HSP70/HSPA5↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes

autolysosome↑, 1,   Beclin-1↑, 1,   LC3s↑, 1,   p62↓, 1,   TumAuto↑, 2,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

CSCs↓, 1,   EMT↓, 1,   p‑ERK↑, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration

BACH1↑, 1,   TumCP↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

REL↑, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

BioAv↓, 1,   eff↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 43

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

antiOx↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

Inflam↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 4

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Iron, Iron
4 Curcumin
1 salinomycin
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#:65  Target#:160  State#:%  Dir#:%
wNotes=on sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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