Thymoquinone / Akt Cancer Research Results

TQ, Thymoquinone: Click to Expand ⟱
Features: Anti-oxidant, anti-tumor
Thymoquinone is a bioactive compound found in the seeds of Nigella sativa, commonly known as black seed or black cumin.
Pathways:
-Cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, ROS generation in cancer cells
-inhibit the activation of NF-κB, Suppress the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade
-Inhibit angiogenic factors such as VEGF, MMPs
-Inhibit HDACs, UHRF1, and DNMTs

-Note half-life 3-6hrs.
BioAv low oral bioavailability due to its lipophilic nature. Note refridgeration of Black seed oil improves the stability of TQ.
DIY: ~1 part lecithin : 2–3 parts black seed oil : 4–5 parts warm water. (chat ai)
Pathways:
- usually induce ROS production in Cancer cells, and lowers ROS in normal cells
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, Prx,
- May Low AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓(usually contrary), GSH↓ HO1↓(contrary), GPx↓
- 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↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMTs↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓, TET↑
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PDKs↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, α↓, ERK↓, JNK,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Label Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS Driver Upstream cytotoxic trigger Primary studies show TQ rapidly increases ROS; antioxidant/ROS modulation attenuates downstream effects, supporting ROS as an initiating mechanism in multiple cancer contexts (ref)
2 Glutathione (GSH) redox buffering ↓ GSH Driver Redox-collapse amplification Same prostate cancer study reports early GSH depletion alongside ROS rise; together these form a redox “one-two punch” that helps explain selective stress in tumor cells (ref)
3 Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm) ↓ ΔΨm Driver Mitochondrial dysfunction (MOMP axis) Primary leukemia/cancer study reports disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential after TQ exposure (mitochondrial events central to TQ-mediated death) (ref)
4 Intrinsic apoptosis (caspase-9 → caspase-3; PARP) ↑ caspases / ↑ apoptosis Driver Execution-phase cell death Same primary paper reports activation of caspases (8/9/3) with mitochondrial involvement—core evidence for apoptosis as the major outcome pathway (ref)
5 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity Secondary Reduced pro-survival / inflammatory transcription Colon cancer work: TQ induces cell death and chemosensitizes cells by inhibiting NF-κB signaling (explicit pathway-direction support) (ref)
6 STAT3 signaling ↓ p-STAT3 / ↓ STAT3 activation Secondary Reduced survival/proliferation signaling Gastric cancer study explicitly reports TQ suppresses constitutive STAT3 activation and related signaling readouts (ref)
7 NRF2 antioxidant-response axis (NRF2/HO-1 program) ↑ NRF2 pathway (often as stress-response) Adaptive Cellular antioxidant counter-response In TNBC context, a primary study reports TQ upregulates NRF2 (and evaluates downstream immune/checkpoint consequences), consistent with NRF2 acting as an adaptive response to redox stress (ref)
8 HIF-1α hypoxia signaling ↓ HIF-1α protein / ↓ HIF-1α program Adaptive Loss of hypoxia survival signaling Renal cancer hypoxia paper identifies TQ as suppressing HIF-1α and links this to selective killing under hypoxia (ref)
9 Glycolysis / Warburg output (hypoxia-linked) ↓ glycolysis (↓ HIF-1α–mediated glycolytic genes; ↓ glycolytic metabolism) Phenotypic Metabolic suppression In hypoxic renal cancer, TQ suppresses HIF-1α–mediated glycolysis; in CRC, TQ inhibits glycolytic metabolism alongside tumor growth limitation (ref)  |  (ref)


Akt, PKB-Protein kinase B: Click to Expand ⟱
Source: HalifaxProj(inhibit)
Type:
Akt1 is involved in cellular survival pathways, by inhibiting apoptotic processes; Akt2 is an important signaling molecule in the insulin signaling pathway. It is required to induce glucose transport.

Inhibitors:
-Curcumin: downregulate AKT phosphorylation and signaling.
-Resveratrol
-Quercetin: inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway.
-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
-Luteolin and Apigenin: inhibit AKT phosphorylation


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2135- TQ,    Thymoquinone induces heme oxygenase-1 expression in HaCaT cells via Nrf2/ARE activation: Akt and AMPKα as upstream targets
- in-vitro, Nor, HaCaT
*HO-1↑, *NRF2↑, *e-ERK↑, *e-Akt↑, *AMPKα↑, *ROS⇅, *eff↓, *tumCV∅,
3559- TQ,    Molecular signaling pathway targeted therapeutic potential of thymoquinone in Alzheimer’s disease
- Review, AD, NA - Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, *Inflam↓, *AChE↓, AntiCan↑, *cardioP↑, *RenoP↑, *neuroP↑, *hepatoP↑, TumCG↓, Apoptosis↑, PI3K↓, Akt↑, TumCCA↑, angioG↓, *NF-kB↓, *TLR2↓, *TLR4↓, *MyD88↓, *TRIF↓, *IRF3↓, *IL1β↓, *IL6↓, *IL12↓, *NRF2↑, *COX2↓, *VEGF↓, *MMP9↓, *cMyc↓, *cycD1/CCND1↓, *TumCP↓, *TumCI↓, *MDA↓, *TGF-β↓, *CRP↓, *Casp3↓, *GSH↑, *IL10↑, *iNOS↑, *lipid-P↓, *SOD↑, *H2O2↓, *ROS↓, *LDH↓, *Catalase↑, *GPx↑, *AChE↓, *cognitive↑, *MAPK↑, *JNK↑, *BAX↓, *memory↑, *Aβ↓, *MMP↑,
2085- TQ,    Anticancer Activities of Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin)
- Review, Var, NA
MMP↓, Casp3↑, Casp8↑, Casp9↓, cl‑PARP↑, Cyt‑c↑, Bax:Bcl2↑, NF-kB↓, IAP1↓, IAP2↓, XIAP↓, Bcl-xL↓, survivin↓, cJun↑, p38↑, Akt↑, chemoP↑, *radioP↑,
2133- TQ,  CUR,  Cisplatin,    Thymoquinone and curcumin combination protects cisplatin-induced kidney injury, nephrotoxicity by attenuating NFκB, KIM-1 and ameliorating Nrf2/HO-1 signalling
- in-vitro, Nor, HEK293 - in-vivo, NA, NA
*creat↓, *TNF-α↓, *IL6↓, *MRP↓, *GFR↑, *mt-ATPase↑, *p‑Akt↑, *NRF2↑, *HO-1↑, *Casp3↓, *NF-kB↓, *RenoP↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 4 of 4

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

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

MMP↓, 1,   XIAP↓, 1,  

Cell Death

Akt↑, 2,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   Bax:Bcl2↑, 1,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   Casp3↑, 1,   Casp8↑, 1,   Casp9↓, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   IAP1↓, 1,   IAP2↓, 1,   p38↑, 1,   survivin↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

cJun↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair

cl‑PARP↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

PI3K↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

angioG↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

NF-kB↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

AntiCan↑, 1,   chemoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 23

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

antiOx↑, 1,   Catalase↑, 1,   GPx↑, 1,   GSH↑, 1,   H2O2↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 2,   lipid-P↓, 1,   MDA↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 3,   ROS↓, 1,   ROS⇅, 1,   SOD↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

MMP↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

cMyc↓, 1,   LDH↓, 1,  

Cell Death

p‑Akt↑, 1,   e-Akt↑, 1,   BAX↓, 1,   Casp3↓, 2,   iNOS↑, 1,   JNK↑, 1,   MAPK↑, 1,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction

AMPKα↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

tumCV∅, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

e-ERK↑, 1,  

Migration

mt-ATPase↑, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   TGF-β↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

VEGF↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport

MRP↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

COX2↓, 1,   CRP↓, 1,   IL10↑, 1,   IL12↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   Inflam↓, 1,   MyD88↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 2,   TLR2↓, 1,   TLR4↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,   TRIF↓, 1,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission

AChE↓, 2,  

Protein Aggregation

Aβ↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

eff↓, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

creat↓, 1,   CRP↓, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   LDH↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

cardioP↑, 1,   cognitive↑, 1,   GFR↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,   memory↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   radioP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 2,  

Infection & Microbiome

IRF3↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 62

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Akt, PKB-Protein kinase B
4 Thymoquinone
1 Curcumin
1 Cisplatin
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#:162  Target#:4  State#:%  Dir#:2
wNotes=0 sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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