| Rank |
Pathway / Axis |
Cancer Cells |
Normal Cells |
TSF |
Primary Effect |
Notes / Interpretation |
| 1 |
Nrf2 → HO-1 / ARE antioxidant response |
Stress adaptation modulation (context-dependent) |
Nrf2 ↑; HO-1 ↑; antioxidant defenses ↑ |
R, G |
Endogenous antioxidant upshift |
FA is repeatedly reported to promote Nrf2 nuclear translocation and HO-1 induction; this is one of the most defensible “core” mechanisms. |
| 2 |
NF-κB inflammatory transcription (COX-2 / iNOS / cytokines) |
NF-κB ↓; COX-2/iNOS and pro-inflammatory cytokine programs ↓ (reported) |
Inflammation tone ↓ (tissue protective) |
R, G |
Anti-inflammatory signaling |
Often described as downstream of redox changes and upstream of reduced inflammatory mediators; direction is consistent across many inflammation models. |
| 3 |
ROS / oxidative stress tone |
Oxidative stress ↓ (often); ROS direction can vary by tumor model |
Oxidative injury ↓ |
P, R, G |
Redox buffering (context-dependent) |
FA is classically antioxidant; in tumor systems, effects may be secondary to signaling changes and vary with baseline redox instability. |
| 4 |
Cell-cycle control (Cyclin D1 / CDK4/6; checkpoints) |
Cell-cycle arrest ↑ (reported); Cyclin D1 ↓; proliferation ↓ |
↔ |
G |
Cytostasis |
Frequently reported as later phenotype-level outcomes; direction and checkpoint phase (G1 vs G2/M) vary by model. |
| 5 |
Apoptosis (intrinsic caspase-linked; p53 axis in some models) |
Apoptosis ↑; caspase activation ↑ (reported); p53/p21 ↑ (model-dependent) |
↔ (generally less activation) |
G |
Cell death execution |
Apoptosis is commonly observed in cancer models but is not as “signature-direct” as for mitochondrial toxins; best treated as downstream/conditional. |
| 6 |
MAPK re-wiring (ERK / JNK / p38) |
MAPK modulation (context-dependent) |
↔ |
P, R, G |
Signal reprogramming |
MAPK direction depends on whether FA is acting primarily as anti-inflammatory/anti-stress vs antiproliferative; avoid hard arrows for p38/JNK/ERK unless model-specific. |
| 7 |
PI3K → AKT (± mTOR) survival axis |
PI3K/AKT modulation (reported; model-dependent) |
↔ |
R, G |
Survival/growth modulation |
Often listed in anticancer summaries; treat as “reported” rather than universal primary mechanism. |
| 8 |
Invasion / metastasis programs (MMPs / migration) |
MMPs ↓; migration/invasion ↓ (reported) |
↔ |
G |
Anti-invasive phenotype |
Observed as later outcomes (gene expression + phenotype assays) and commonly linked to NF-κB/MAPK context. |
| 9 |
Radiation/chemo injury mitigation (supportive care framing) |
Adjunct potential: may reduce treatment-associated oxidative/inflammatory injury (context) |
Tissue protection ↑ (reported) |
G |
Cytoprotection |
Animal models report radioprotective/anti-inflammatory effects; present as supportive/adjunct rather than standalone anticancer therapy. |
| 10 |
Bioavailability / metabolism constraint (conjugation; food-matrix dependence) |
Systemic exposure variable; much appears as glucuronide/sulfate conjugates |
— |
— |
Translation constraint |
FA is absorbed and rapidly metabolized; “bioavailability” varies widely with food matrix and binding to polysaccharides in grains. |