Shikonin / ChemoSen Cancer Research Results

SK, Shikonin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
The (R)-enantiomer of alkannin is known as shikonin, and the racemic mixture of the two is known as shikalkin.
Shikonin is a naphthoquinone derivative primarily isolated from the roots of plants in the Boraginaceae family (e.g., Lithospermum erythrorhizon).
Shikonin is the main active component of a Chinese medicinal plant 'Zi Cao'
-Shikonin is a major component of zicao (purple gromwell, the dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon), a Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory properties
-Quinone methides (QMs) are highly reactive intermediates formed from natural compounds like shikonin
-ic50 cancer cells 1-10uM, normal cells >10uM

-known as Glycolysis inhibitor: ( inhibit pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2*******), a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway)

Available from mcsformulas.com Shikonin Pro Liposomal, 30 mg
Also In Glycolysis Inhibithree(100 mg PHLORIZIN,10 mg TANSHINONE IIA, 8 mg Shikonin)

-Note half-life15-30mins or 8hr?.
BioAv low, poor water solubility
Pathways:
- usually induce ROS production in cancer cells, and reduce ROS in normal cells.
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓,
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓, TrxR↓**, SOD↓, GSH↓ Catalase↓ GPx4↓
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : NLRP3↓, IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, IGF-1↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, ERK↓, JNK, P53↑,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells
Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance
1 PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis (Warburg metabolism) ↓ Energy / biomass restriction Key, repeatedly reported mechanism: shikonin suppresses PKM2 activity and PKM2-driven glycolysis in multiple tumor models, with downstream growth inhibition and apoptosis
2 ROS accumulation / oxidative stress ↑ ROS Redox overload Common upstream trigger that drives mitochondrial dysfunction and regulated cell death programs; often precedes necroptosis/apoptosis signaling
3 Necroptosis core cascade (RIPK1 → RIPK3 → MLKL) ↑ Programmed necrotic cell death Strong evidence across cancers (e.g., leukemia and nasopharyngeal carcinoma): shikonin increases RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL expression/activation; necroptosis inhibitors can blunt the effect
4 Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm) ↓ Mitochondrial dysfunction ROS-linked depolarization; acts as a pivot into intrinsic apoptosis and other death programs
5 Intrinsic apoptosis (BAX/BAK → Caspase-9/3) ↑ Programmed cell death Frequently observed; often framed as ROS → mitochondrial damage → caspase-dependent apoptosis
6 PKM2/STAT3 signaling axis ↓ Reduced survival & proliferation signaling In ESCC and related models, shikonin suppresses PKM2-driven glycolysis and down-modulates STAT3 pathway activity
7 NF-κB pathway ↓ Reduced pro-survival transcription Reported as part of multi-target suppression of inflammatory/anti-apoptotic programs in several tumor models and reviews
8 PI3K–AKT (± mTOR) ↓ Growth & resistance pathway inhibition Often described as sensitizing cells to apoptosis/TRAIL; may be secondary to oxidative stress and metabolic collapse
9 Stress MAPKs (JNK / p38) ↑ Pro-death stress signaling Common downstream response to ROS; can reinforce apoptosis and other death outcomes
10 Ferroptosis-related axis (lipid peroxidation; GPX4) ↑ lipid perox / ↓ GPX4 Iron-dependent oxidative death Reported prominently for acetylshikonin (a shikonin derivative): ROS-associated lipid peroxidation with reduced GPX4 expression alongside RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL activation
11 Endoplasmic reticulum stress (UPR / ERS) ↑ Proteotoxic stress signaling Frequently mentioned in leukemia-focused mechanism summaries and broader reviews as contributory to growth arrest and death
12 Multiple regulated death programs (apoptosis / necroptosis / ferroptosis / pyroptosis) ↑ (context-dependent) Broader cell-death engagement Recent reviews emphasize that shikonin can engage several programmed cell death modalities depending on cell context and dosing
Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis (Warburg metabolism) ↓ PKM2 activity / ↓ glycolysis Energy & biomass restriction Demonstrates shikonin (and analogs) inhibit cancer glycolysis, reducing glucose consumption/lactate production via PKM2 targeting (ref)
2 PKM2 → STAT3 signaling axis ↓ PKM2-driven signaling / ↓ STAT3 pathway Reduced survival & proliferation ESCC study: shikonin suppresses PKM2-mediated aerobic glycolysis and regulates PKM2/STAT3 signaling (ref)
3 Necroptosis (RIPK1 → RIPK3 → MLKL) ↑ RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL Programmed necrotic cell death Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: shikonin induces necroptosis with upregulation of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL (with ROS involvement) (ref)
4 ROS accumulation ↑ ROS Oxidative stress trigger Colon cancer model: shikonin increases intracellular ROS; ROS functions upstream of apoptosis (ref)
5 Mitochondrial apoptosis (Caspase-9/3) ↑ Caspase-9/3 Programmed cell death Same colon cancer study shows shikonin increases caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity (mitochondria-mediated apoptosis) (ref)
6 ER stress / UPR (PERK → eIF2α → CHOP) ↑ Proteotoxic stress apoptosis signaling Colon cancer: shikonin-induced apoptosis mediated by PERK/eIF2α/CHOP ER-stress pathway (ref)
7 Autophagic flux (autophagosome–lysosome completion) ↓ autophagic flux (blocked) ROS + apoptosis amplification Colorectal cancer: shikonin induces ROS and apoptosis by inhibiting autophagic flux (ref)
8 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity Reduced pro-survival transcription Pancreatic cancer xenograft/mechanistic study: shikonin suppresses NF-κB activity and NF-κB–regulated gene products (ref)
9 PI3K–AKT–mTOR (stemness / chemoresistance axis) ↓ PI3K/AKT/mTOR Reduced survival & stemness Chemoresistant lung cancer CSC context: shikonin attenuates PI3K–Akt–mTOR pathway and reduces cancer stemness (ref)
10 Cell cycle control (p21; G2/M arrest) ↑ p21 / ↑ G2/M arrest Proliferation block Gastric cancer (AGS): shikonin induces cell-cycle arrest linked to p21 regulation (ref)
11 Invasion / metastasis programs (NF-κB-linked) ↓ invasion Anti-invasive phenotype Reports shikonin inhibits tumor invasion via down-regulation of NF-κB–related mechanisms in a high-metastatic tumor model (ref)
12 Chemosensitization via glycolysis suppression ↓ glycolysis / ↑ cisplatin sensitivity Combination benefit NSCLC: shikonin inhibits glycolysis and sensitizes cells to cisplatin (explicitly connecting metabolic suppression to chemosensitization) (ref)


ChemoSen, chemo-sensitization: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
The effectiveness of chemotherapy by increasing cancer cell sensitivity to the drugs used to treat them, which is known as “chemo-sensitization”.

Chemo-Sensitizers:
-Curcumin
-Resveratrol
-EGCG
-Quercetin
-Genistein
-Berberine
-Piperine: alkaloid from black pepper
-Ginsenosides: active components of ginseng
-Silymarin
-Allicin
-Lycopene
-Ellagic acid
-caffeic acid phenethyl ester
-flavopiridol
-oleandrin
-ursolic acid
-butein
-betulinic acid
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2227- SK,    Shikonin induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and enhances chemotherapeutic sensitivity of gastric cancer through reactive oxygen species
- in-vitro, GC, BGC-823 - in-vitro, GC, SGC-7901 - in-vitro, Nor, GES-1
selectivity↑, TumCP↓, TumCD↑, ROS↑, MMP↓, Casp↑, Cyt‑c↑, Endon↑, AIF↑, eff↓, ChemoSen↑, TumCCA↑, GSH/GSSG↓, lipid-P↑,
5102- SK,  GEM,    Shikonin suppresses tumor growth and synergizes with gemcitabine in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model: Involvement of NF-κB signaling pathway
TumCG↓, ChemoSen↑, NF-kB↓, PCNA↓, Ki-67↓, p‑EGFR↓, ROS↑, TumCCA↑, P53↑, JNK↑, Akt↓,
2418- SK,    Experimental Study of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment by Shikonin Through Regulating PKM2
- in-vitro, HCC, SMMC-7721 cell - in-vitro, HCC, HUH7 - in-vitro, HCC, HepG2
tumCV↓, GlucoseCon↓, lactateProd↓, ChemoSen↑, PKM2↓, Glycolysis↓,
2184- SK,  Cisplatin,    PKM2 Inhibitor Shikonin Overcomes the Cisplatin Resistance in Bladder Cancer by Inducing Necroptosis
- in-vitro, CRC, T24/HTB-9
PKM2↓, ChemoSen↑, Necroptosis↑,
2182- SK,  Cisplatin,    Shikonin inhibited glycolysis and sensitized cisplatin treatment in non-small cell lung cancer cells via the exosomal pyruvate kinase M2 pathway
- in-vitro, Lung, A549 - in-vitro, Lung, PC9 - in-vivo, NA, NA
tumCV↓, TumCP↓, TumCI↓, TumCMig↓, Apoptosis↑, PKM2↓, Glycolysis↓, GlucoseCon↓, lactateProd↓, ChemoSen↑, TumVol↓, TumW↓, GLUT1↓,
2008- SK,  Cisplatin,    Enhancement of cisplatin-induced colon cancer cells apoptosis by shikonin, a natural inducer of ROS in vitro and in vivo
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vivo, NA, NA
ChemoSen↑, selectivity↑, i-ROS↑, DNAdam↑, MMP↓, TumCCA↑, eff↓, *toxicity↓,
1073- SK,  Chemo,    Natural Compound Shikonin Is a Novel PAK1 Inhibitor and Enhances Efficacy of Chemotherapy against Pancreatic Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, PC, PANC1 - in-vitro, PC, Bxpc-3
PAK1↓, TumCP↓, Apoptosis↑, ChemoSen↑, ROS↑,
2196- SK,    Research progress in mechanism of anticancer action of shikonin targeting reactive oxygen species
- Review, Var, NA
*ALAT↓, *AST↓, *Inflam?, *EMT↑, ROS?, TrxR1↓, PERK↑, eIF2α↑, ATF4↑, CHOP↑, IRE1↑, JNK↑, eff↝, DR5↑, Glycolysis↓, PKM2↓, ChemoSen↑, GPx4↓, HO-1↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 8 of 8

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 8

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GPx4↓, 1,   GSH/GSSG↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 1,   lipid-P↑, 1,   ROS?, 1,   ROS↑, 3,   i-ROS↑, 1,   TrxR1↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

AIF↑, 1,   MMP↓, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

GlucoseCon↓, 2,   Glycolysis↓, 3,   lactateProd↓, 2,   PKM2↓, 4,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 2,   Casp↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   DR5↑, 1,   Endon↑, 1,   JNK↑, 2,   Necroptosis↑, 1,   TumCD↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

tumCV↓, 2,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

CHOP↑, 1,   eIF2α↑, 1,   IRE1↑, 1,   PERK↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 1,   P53↑, 1,   PCNA↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

TumCCA↑, 3,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

Ki-67↓, 1,   PAK1↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 3,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

ATF4↑, 1,   p‑EGFR↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT1↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

NF-kB↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

ChemoSen↑, 8,   eff↓, 2,   eff↝, 1,   selectivity↑, 2,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

p‑EGFR↓, 1,   Ki-67↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

TumVol↓, 1,   TumW↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 50

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

EMT↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

Inflam?, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

toxicity↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 6

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: ChemoSen, chemo-sensitization
8 Shikonin
3 Cisplatin
1 Gemcitabine (Gemzar)
1 Chemotherapy
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#:150  Target#:1106  State#:%  Dir#:2
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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