Juglone / HO-1 Cancer Research Results

JG, Juglone: Click to Expand ⟱

Features:

Found in roots, leaves, nut-hulls, bark and wood of walnut trees.
Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone)
Juglans nigra refers to the black walnut tree, which is one of the most well-known sources of juglone
-Research has focused on the hulls (the green outer covering of the walnut) because they have the highest concentrations.
-Fresh hulls can contain juglone levels in the range of approximately 1–5% of the dry weight

-Juglone can redox cycle to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS).
-Increasing Bax, decreasing Bcl‑2, caspase activation, and MMP depolarization.
-Modulation of MAPK pathways (including ERK, JNK, and p38)
-May inhibit NF‑κB signaling
-Cause DNA damage or stress that, in turn, leads to p53 pathway activation— Pin1 Inhibition
–Pin1, a peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase, is frequently overexpressed in cancer.

-ic50 maybe 5-10uM
-For matching 5uM, crude estimate is 5mg consumption of juglone required which might be 1.5 g of black walnut hull material

Rank	Pathway / Target Axis	Direction	Primary Effect	Notes / Cancer Relevance	Ref
1	Redox cycling (quinone–semiquinone system)	↑↑ ROS	Oxidative stress overload	Juglone can act as a redox-cycling quinone; ROS elevation is a dominant upstream driver in multiple cancer models	(ref)
2	Thiol buffering (GSH depletion)	↓ GSH	Loss of redox buffering	In HL-60 leukemia cells, juglone induces ROS and explicitly depletes GSH; antioxidants block downstream apoptosis markers	(ref)
3	Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm)	↓ ΔΨm	Mitochondrial dysfunction	In LNCaP prostate cancer cells, juglone decreases mitochondrial potential (ΔΨ) during intrinsic apoptosis	(ref)
4	Intrinsic apoptosis (Caspase-9 → Caspase-3)	↑ Caspase-9/3 activation	Programmed cell death	Same LNCaP evidence base: intrinsic apoptosis with activation of caspases 3 and 9 is reported for juglone	(ref)
5	DNA damage / genotoxic stress	↑ DNA damage	Checkpoint activation and death signaling	Juglone is reported to have genotoxic effects (DNA damage) in melanoma models, consistent with ROS-driven injury	(ref)
6	p53 stress response	↑ p53 pathway (activation)	Cell-cycle arrest / apoptosis cooperation	Human liver cancer model: juglone drives apoptosis and autophagy via a ROS-mediated p53 pathway (in vitro and in vivo)	(ref)
7	MAPK stress pathways (JNK / p38)	↑ JNK / ↑ p38	Pro-death stress signaling	Mechanistic synthesis notes juglone induces ROS and activates JNK and p38 MAPK, contributing to cell death signaling	(ref)
8	NF-κB signaling	↓ NF-κB	Reduced pro-survival transcription	Literature reports juglone inhibits NF-κB production/signaling in colonic cancer cell contexts (noted as prior work)	(ref)
9	PI3K–AKT survival pathway	↓ PI3K / ↓ p-AKT	Survival pathway suppression	NSCLC: juglone increases ROS and inhibits PI3K/Akt signaling; NAC (ROS scavenger) attenuates apoptosis and pathway changes	(ref)
10	Cell cycle control	↑ arrest	Proliferation blockade	NSCLC: juglone arrests the cell cycle alongside ROS rise and apoptosis marker changes	(ref)
11	Autophagy	↑ autophagy (stress-associated)	Stress adaptation / death crosstalk	Juglone induces both apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells via MAPK pathway modulation (with ROS-MAPK coupling)	(ref)
12	Angiogenesis signaling (VEGF)	↓ VEGF	Reduced vascular support	Pancreatic cancer cell lines: juglone reduces VEGF gene expression (and other metastasis/angiogenesis-related genes) at sub-IC50 exposure	(ref)

HO-1, HMOX1: Click to Expand ⟱

Source:

Type:

(Also known as Hsp32 and HMOX1)
HO-1 is the common abbreviation for the protein (heme oxygenase‑1) produced by the HMOX1 gene.
HO-1 is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in various cellular processes, including the breakdown of heme, a toxic molecule. Research has shown that HO-1 is involved in the development and progression of cancer.
-widely regarded as having antioxidant and cytoprotective effects
-The overall activity of HO‑1 helps to reduce the pro‐oxidant load (by degrading free heme, a pro‑oxidant) and to generate molecules (like bilirubin) that can protect cells from oxidative damage

Studies have found that HO-1 is overexpressed in various types of cancer, including lung, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. The overexpression of HO-1 in cancer cells can contribute to their survival and proliferation by:
Reducing oxidative stress and inflammation
Promoting angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels)
Inhibiting apoptosis (programmed cell death)
Enhancing cell migration and invasion
When HO-1 is at a normal level, it mainly exerts an antioxidant effect, and when it is excessively elevated, it causes an accumulation of iron ions.

A proper cellular level of HMOX1 plays an antioxidative function to protect cells from ROS toxicity. However, its overexpression has pro-oxidant effects to induce ferroptosis of cells, which is dependent on intracellular iron accumulation and increased ROS content upon excessive activation of HMOX1.

-Curcumin Activates the Nrf2 pathway leading to HO‑1 induction; known for its anti‑inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
-Resveratrol Induces HO‑1 via activation of SIRT1/Nrf2 signaling; exhibits antioxidant and cardioprotective properties.
-Quercetin Activates Nrf2 and related antioxidant pathways; contributes to anti‑oxidative and anti‑inflammatory responses.
-EGCG Promotes HO‑1 expression through activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway; also exhibits anti‑inflammatory and anticancer properties.
-Sulforaphane One of the most potent natural HO‑1 inducers; triggers Nrf2 nuclear translocation and upregulates a battery of phase II detoxifying enzymes.
-Luteolin Induces HO‑1 via Nrf2 activation; may also exert anti‑inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in various cell models.
-Apigenin Has been reported to induce HO‑1 expression partly via the MAPK and Nrf2 pathways; also known for anti‑inflammatory and anticancer activities.

Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱

1921-

JG,

Juglone induces ferroptotic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma and pan-cancer via the FOSL1-HMOX1 axis

in-vitro,

PC,

vitro+vivo,

PC,

TumCG↓, Ferroptosis↑, ROS↑, Iron↑, lipid-P↑, MDA↑, GSH↓, FOSL1↑, HO-1↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 1 of 1

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 1

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Ferroptosis↑, 1, GSH↓, 1, HO-1↑, 1, Iron↑, 1, lipid-P↑, 1, MDA↑, 1, ROS↑, 1,

Cell Death ⓘ

Ferroptosis↑, 1,

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

FOSL1↑, 1, TumCG↓, 1,
Total Targets: 10

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: HO-1, HMOX1

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