Database Query Results : Curcumin, , Cyt‑c

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


Cyt‑c, cyt-c Release into Cytosol: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Cytochrome c
** The term "release of cytochrome c" ** an increase in level for the cytosol.
Small hemeprotein found loosely associated with the inner membrane of the mitochondrion where it plays a critical role in cellular respiration. Cytochrome c is highly water-soluble, unlike other cytochromes. It is capable of undergoing oxidation and reduction as its iron atom converts between the ferrous and ferric forms, but does not bind oxygen. It also plays a major role in cell apoptosis.

The term "release of cytochrome c" refers to a critical step in the process of programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis.
In its new location—the cytosol—cytochrome c participates in the apoptotic signaling pathway by helping to form the apoptosome, which activates caspases that execute cell death.
Cytochrome c is a small protein normally located in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Its primary role in healthy cells is to participate in the electron transport chain, a process that helps produce energy (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation.
Mitochondrial outer membrane permeability leads to the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol.
The release of cytochrome c is a pivotal event in apoptosis where cytochrome c moves from the mitochondria to the cytosol, initiating a chain reaction that leads to programmed cell death.

On the one hand, cytochrome c can promote cancer cell survival and proliferation by regulating the activity of various signaling pathways, such as the PI3K/AKT pathway. This can lead to increased cell growth and resistance to apoptosis, which are hallmarks of cancer.
On the other hand, cytochrome c can also induce apoptosis in cancer cells by interacting with other proteins, such as Apaf-1 and caspase-9. This can lead to the activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, which can result in the death of cancer cells.
Overexpressed in Breast, Lung, Colon, and Prostrate.
Underexpressed in Ovarian, and Pancreatic.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
4415- AgNPs,  SDT,  CUR,    Examining the Impact of Sonodynamic Therapy With Ultrasound Wave in the Presence of Curcumin-Coated Silver Nanoparticles on the Apoptosis of MCF7 Breast Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7
tumCV↓, Curcumin-coated silver nanoparticles (Cur@AgNPs) have shown potential as a sensitizer, demonstrating adverse effects on cancer cell survival.
BAX↑, proapoptotic genes, such as Bax and Caspase-3, increased, while the expression of the antiapoptotic gene Bcl-2 decreased in MCF7 cells treated with the SDT.
Casp3↑,
Bcl-2↓,
eff↑, effect of SDT in the presence of Cur@AgNPs decreases cell viability dependence on US mode
ROS↑, Combined treatment increased the amount of ROS induction
sonoS↑, Higher concentrations of AgNPs (100 μg/ml) acted as acoustic sensitizers and enhanced ROS production
eff↑, Using curcumin as a biological coating reduced the toxicity of AgNPs and improved their significant effects with SDT
MMP↓, reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores (mPTPs)
Cyt‑c↑, ultimately facilitating the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol.

4652- CUR,    Anticancer effect of curcumin on breast cancer and stem cells
- Review, BC, NA
TumCP↓, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and metastasis and by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
TumMeta↓,
TumCCA↑,
Apoptosis↑,
CSCs↓, curcumin inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer stem cells (BCSC), an important factor that influences cancer recurrence.
NF-kB↓, curcumin exhibited a potent antiproliferation effect by inhibiting the binding activity of NF-KB
Telomerase↓, Curcumin inhibited telomerase activity in human leukemia cells [21,22] and brain tumor cells [23] in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner.
Cyt‑c↑, curcumin releases cytochrome C and upregulates caspase-9 and caspase-3 expression
Casp9↑,
Casp3↑,
E-cadherin↑, Curcumin inhibits the migratory ability of BSCS by amplifying the E-cadherin/β-catenin negative feedback loop.

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↑,

3580- CUR,    Curcumin Acts as Post-protective Effects on Rat Hippocampal Synaptosomes in a Neuronal Model of Aluminum-Induced Toxicity
- in-vivo, AD, NA
*ROS↓, curcumin post-treatment significantly improved oxidative damage and morphological alterations, and suppressed cytochrome c and caspase 3 activities
*Cyt‑c↓,
*Casp3↓,
*neuroP↑, curcumin had more therapeutic effects than protective effects in AlCI3-induced neurotoxicity.

444- CUR,  Cisplatin,    LncRNA KCNQ1OT1 is a key factor in the reversal effect of curcumin on cisplatin resistance in the colorectal cancer cells
- vitro+vivo, CRC, HCT8
TumVol↓,
Apoptosis↑,
Bcl-2↓,
Cyt‑c↑,
BAX↑,
cl‑Casp3↑,
cl‑PARP1↑,
miR-497↑,
KCNQ1OT1↓, acts as sponge of miR-497

1981- CUR,    Mitochondrial targeted curcumin exhibits anticancer effects through disruption of mitochondrial redox and modulation of TrxR2 activity
- in-vitro, Lung, NA
eff↑, Mitocurcumin, showed 25-50 fold higher efficacy in killing lung cancer cells as compared to curcumin
ROS↑, Mitocurcumin increased the mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS
mt-GSH↓, decreased the mitochondrial glutathione levels
Bax:Bcl2↑, increased BAX to BCL-2 ratio
Cyt‑c↑, cytochrome C release into the cytosol
MMP↓, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential
Casp3↑, increased caspase-3 activity
Trx2↓, mitocurcumin revealed that it binds to the active site of the mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase (TrxR2) with high affinity
TrxR↓, In corroboration with the above finding, mitocurcumin decreased TrxR activity in cell free as well as the cellular system.
mt-DNAdam↑, mitochondrial DNA damage

481- CUR,  CHr,  Api,    Flavonoid-induced glutathione depletion: Potential implications for cancer treatment
- in-vitro, Liver, A549 - in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, AML, HL-60
GSH↓, depletion
mtDam↑, mitochondrial dysfunction
MMP↓,
Cyt‑c↑,

484- CUR,  PDT,    Low concentrations of curcumin induce growth arrest and apoptosis in skin keratinocytes only in combination with UVA or visible light
- in-vitro, Melanoma, NA
Cyt‑c↑, release of cytochrome c from mitochondria
Casp9↑,
Casp8↑,
NF-kB↓,
EGFR↓,

432- CUR,    Curcumin-Induced Global Profiling of Transcriptomes in Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, Lung, H446
Bcl-2↓,
cycF↓,
LOX1↓,
VEGF↓, VEGFB
MRGPRF↓,
BAX↑,
Cyt‑c↑,
miR-548ah-5p↑,

15- CUR,  UA,    Effects of curcumin and ursolic acid in prostate cancer: A systematic review
- Review, Pca, NA
NF-kB↝, involve NF-κB, Akt, androgen receptors, and apoptosis pathways.
Akt↝, see figure 5
AR↝,
Apoptosis↝,
Bcl-2↝,
Casp3↝,
BAX↝,
P21↝,
ROS↝,
Bcl-xL↝,
JNK↝,
MMP2↝,
P53↝,
PSA↝,
VEGF↝,
COX2↝,
cycD1/CCND1↝,
EGFR↝,
IL6↝,
β-catenin/ZEB1↝,
mTOR↝,
NRF2↝,
AP-1↝,
Cyt‑c↝,
PI3K↝,
PTEN↝,
Cyc↝,
TNF-α↝,

831- GAR,  CUR,    Induction of apoptosis by garcinol and curcumin through cytochrome c release and activation of caspases in human leukemia HL-60 cells
- in-vitro, AML, HL-60
Apoptosis↑,
Casp3↑,
MMP↓, 20 microM caused a rapid loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential
Cyt‑c↑, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into cytosol
proCasp9↑,
Bcl-2↓,
BAX↑,
PARP↓, degradation of PARP
DNAdam↑,
DFF45↓, through the digestion of DFF-45

4827- QC,  CUR,    Synthetic Pathways and the Therapeutic Potential of Quercetin and Curcumin
- Review, Var, NA
*AntiCan↑, their anti-cancer effects, but also with regard to their anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial actions.
*Inflam↓,
*Bacteria↓,
*AntiDiabetic↑,
*ROS↓, suppression of ROS formation via the inhibition of the enzyme activities involved in their production, or via scavenging ROS directly by acting as hydrogen donors; the chelation of the metal ions that induce ROS production;
*SOD↑, quercetin can eliminate free radicals and help maintain a stable redox state in cells by increasing anti-oxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase expressions, as well as the level of reduced glutathione (GSH)
*Catalase↑,
*GSH↑,
*NRF2↑, Quercetin can protect human granulosa cells from oxidative stress by inducing Nrf2 expression at both the gene and protein levels, which in turn induces the anti-oxidant thioredoxin (Trx) system.
*Trx↑,
*IronCh↑, pure curcumin, a metal chelator, directly removes ROS and regulates numerous enzymes.
*MDA↑, It has the potential to reduce the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum and increase the total anti-oxidant potential
cycD1/CCND1↓, Cyclin D1 expression was significantly decreased in quercetin-treated ovarian SKOV-3 cells, but not in cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant SKOV3/CDDP cells.
PI3K↓, The levels of PI3K and phospho-Akt were decreased in curcumin-treated SKOV3 cells, which in turn increased caspase-3 and Bax levels.
Casp3↑,
BAX↑,
ChemoSen↑, Curcumin enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy in colorectal cancer cells.
ROS↑, suggesting that quercetin-induced cytotoxicity and autophagy were initiated by the generation of ROS
eff↑, quercetin or curcumin with chemotherapeutic agents, as shown below, considerably enhances the antitumor potencies of doxorubicin (DOX) and cisplatin.
MMP↓, The synergistic treatment with curcumin and quercetin inhibited the cell proliferation associated with the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), the release of cytochrome c, a decrease in AKT and ERK phosphorylation in MGC803 human gastric
Cyt‑c↑,
Akt↓,
ERK↓,


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 12

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

Fenton↑, 1,   GSH↓, 2,   mt-GSH↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 1,   Iron↑, 1,   NRF2↝, 1,   ROS↑, 4,   ROS↝, 1,   Trx2↓, 1,   TrxR↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

MMP↓, 5,   mtDam↑, 2,  

Cell Death

Akt↓, 2,   Akt↝, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 4,   Apoptosis↝, 1,   BAX↑, 5,   BAX↝, 1,   Bax:Bcl2↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 4,   Bcl-2↝, 1,   Bcl-xL↝, 1,   Casp3↑, 5,   Casp3↝, 1,   cl‑Casp3↑, 1,   Casp8↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 2,   proCasp9↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 10,   Cyt‑c↝, 1,   JNK↝, 1,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   miR-497↑, 1,   miR-548ah-5p↑, 1,   Telomerase↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

KCNQ1OT1↓, 1,   sonoS↑, 1,   tumCV↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress

ATF6↑, 1,   CHOP↑, 1,   ER Stress↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair

DFF45↓, 1,   DNAdam↑, 1,   mt-DNAdam↑, 1,   P53↝, 1,   PARP↓, 1,   cl‑PARP1↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

Cyc↝, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↝, 1,   cycF↓, 1,   P21↝, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

CSCs↓, 1,   ERK↓, 1,   p‑ERK↑, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   mTOR↝, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   PI3K↝, 1,   PTEN↝, 1,  

Migration

AP-1↝, 1,   E-cadherin↑, 1,   MMP2↝, 1,   MRGPRF↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 1,   β-catenin/ZEB1↝, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

EGFR↓, 1,   EGFR↝, 1,   LOX1↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,   VEGF↝, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

COX2↝, 1,   IL6↝, 1,   NF-kB↓, 2,   NF-kB↝, 1,   PSA↝, 1,   TNF-α↝, 1,  

Hormonal & Nuclear Receptors

AR↝, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

ChemoSen↑, 1,   eff↑, 4,  

Clinical Biomarkers

AR↝, 1,   EGFR↓, 1,   EGFR↝, 1,   IL6↝, 1,   PSA↝, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

TumVol↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 88

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

antiOx↑, 1,   Catalase↑, 1,   GSH↑, 1,   MDA↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 2,   ROS↓, 3,   SOD↑, 1,   Trx↑, 1,  

Metal & Cofactor Biology

IronCh↑, 1,  

Cell Death

Casp3↓, 1,   Cyt‑c↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

Inflam↓, 2,  

Functional Outcomes

AntiCan↑, 1,   AntiDiabetic↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,  

Infection & Microbiome

Bacteria↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 16

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Cyt‑c, cyt-c Release into Cytosol
12 Curcumin
1 Silver-NanoParticles
1 SonoDynamic Therapy UltraSound
1 Cisplatin
1 Chrysin
1 Apigenin (mainly Parsley)
1 Photodynamic Therapy
1 Ursolic acid
1 Garcinol
1 Quercetin
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#:77  State#:%  Dir#:%
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