Urolithin / SOD Cancer Research Results

Uro, Urolithin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Urolithins are gut microbiota–derived dibenzopyran-6-one metabolites formed from ellagitannins → ellagic acid. They are the bioactive, systemically relevant forms responsible for most of the anticancer, mitochondrial, and signaling effects attributed to pomegranate and berry consumption.
Ellagic acid itself is largely confined to the gut lumen; urolithins are what reach circulation and tissues.

Urolithin A (UA), Most studied; mitophagy, anticancer, anti-inflammatory
Humans fall into urolithin metabotypes:
Metabotype	Description	            Approx. Population
A	        Produces UA (best profile)	~40%
B	        Produces UB ± UA	       ~25–30%
0	        Non-producer	                ~30%

ROS Modulation (Context-Dependent)
Cancer cells:
-Mild ROS ↑ or redox stress → apoptosis, growth arrest
Normal cells:
-ROS ↓, improved mitochondrial efficiency

This duality is why urolithins are less chemo-antagonistic than classic antioxidants.

Anticancer Signaling
↓ PI3K/AKT/mTOR
↓ Wnt/β-catenin
↓ NF-κB, STAT3
Cell-cycle arrest (G1/S)

Unlike sulforaphane or NAC, urolithins:
-Do not strongly upregulate NRF2 in cancer cells
-May normalize NRF2 signaling in normal cells
Direct Urolithin A Supplements: Bypass microbiome dependency

Urolithin A–type activity — Cancer vs Normal Cell Effects
Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Label Primary Interpretation Notes
1 Mitophagy / mitochondrial quality control (PINK1–Parkin axis) ↑ mitophagy → loss of mitochondrial reserve ↑ mitophagy → improved mitochondrial fitness Driver Mitochondrial pruning and quality enforcement Urolithins selectively stress cancer cells by removing dysfunctional mitochondria while rejuvenating normal-cell mitochondrial pools
2 Mitochondrial metabolism / bioenergetics ↓ metabolic flexibility; ↓ ATP resilience ↑ oxidative efficiency Driver Energy stress vs optimization Cancer cells are less able to compensate for enforced mitochondrial turnover
3 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS (secondary to mitochondrial stress) ↓ ROS Secondary Metabolism-linked redox shift ROS changes arise from altered mitochondrial populations, not direct redox cycling
4 AMPK / mTOR nutrient-sensing axis ↑ AMPK; ↓ mTOR signaling ↑ AMPK (adaptive) Secondary Catabolic pressure and growth restraint Energy-sensing pathways reinforce growth suppression in metabolically stressed tumor cells
5 Cell cycle regulation ↓ proliferation / ↑ arrest ↔ spared Phenotypic Cytostatic growth limitation Growth inhibition reflects bioenergetic insufficiency rather than direct CDK inhibition
6 Inflammatory signaling (NF-κB / cytokines) ↓ pro-tumor inflammation ↓ inflammatory tone Secondary Anti-inflammatory modulation Reduced inflammation contributes to chemopreventive and microenvironmental effects
7 NRF2 antioxidant response ↑ NRF2 (adaptive, secondary) ↑ NRF2 (protective) Adaptive Redox homeostasis reinforcement NRF2 activation reflects improved mitochondrial quality and reduced oxidative burden rather than a cytotoxic mechanism
8 Apoptosis sensitivity ↑ sensitivity to apoptosis (stress-context dependent) ↓ apoptosis Phenotypic Threshold-dependent cell death Apoptosis occurs when mitochondrial and energetic stress exceed adaptive capacity


SOD, superoxide dismutase: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
SOD, or superoxide dismutase, is an important antioxidant enzyme that plays a crucial role in protecting cells from oxidative stress. It catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide radicals into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.
SOD Isoforms: There are three main isoforms of SOD:
SOD1 (cytosolic): Often found to be overexpressed in certain tumors, which may help cancer cells survive in oxidative environments.
SOD2 (mitochondrial): Plays a critical role in protecting mitochondria from oxidative damage. Its expression can be upregulated in some cancers, contributing to tumor growth and resistance to therapy.
SOD3 (extracellular): Its role in cancer is less well understood, but it may have implications in the tumor microenvironment and metastasis.
The expression levels of SOD can serve as a prognostic indicator in some cancers. For example, high levels of SOD expression have been associated with poor prognosis in certain types of tumors, potentially due to their role in promoting tumor cell survival and resistance to therapies.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
4858- Uro,    The Metabolite Urolithin-A Ameliorates Oxidative Stress in Neuro-2a Cells, Becoming a Potential Neuroprotective Agent
- in-vitro, Nor, NA
*ROS?, *neuroP↑, *lipid-P↓, *Catalase↑, *SOD↑, *GPx↑, *GSR↑, *monoA↓, *tyrosinase↓,
4869- Uro,    Urolithin A in Central Nervous System Disorders: Therapeutic Applications and Challenges
- Review, AD, NA - Review, Park, NA - Review, Stroke, NA
*MitoP↑, *Inflam↓, *antiOx↑, *Risk↓, *Aβ↓, *p‑tau↓, *p62↓, *PARK2↑, *MMP↑, *ROS↓, *Strength↑, *CRP↓, *IL1β↓, *IL6↓, *TNF-α↓, *AMPK↑, *NF-kB↓, *MAPK↓, *p62↑, *NRF2↑, *SOD↑, *Catalase↑, *HO-1↑, *Ferroptosis↓, *lipid-P↓, *Cartilage↑, *PI3K↓, *Akt↓, *mTOR↓, *Apoptosis↓, *neuroP↑, *Bcl-2↓, *BAX↑, *Casp3↑, *ATP↑, *eff↑, *motorD↑, *NLRP3↓, *radioP↑, *BBB↑,
4876- Uro,    Urolithin A in Health and Diseases: Prospects for Parkinson’s Disease Management
- Review, Park, NA - Review, AD, NA
*Inflam↓, *antiOx↓, *neuroP↑, *p‑tau↓, *Aβ↓, *eff↑, *BioAv↓, *BioAv↑, *GSH↑, *SOD↑, *lipid-P↓, *Catalase↑, *GSR↑, *GPx↑, *ROS↓, *NRF2↑, *GutMicro↑, *Risk↓, *BBB↓, *NLRP3↓, *MAOA↓,
4880- Uro,    Urolithins: A Prospective Alternative against Brain Aging
- Review, AD, NA
*cognitive↑, *memory↑, *antiOx↑, *BBB↑, *ROS↓, *lipid-P↓, *Catalase↑, *SOD↑, *GSR↑, *GPx↑, *CREB↑, *BDNF↑, *neuroP↑, *Inflam↓, *MitoP↑, *Aβ↓, *tau↓, *NLRP3↓, *SIRT1↑, *SIRT3↑,
4833- Uro,    Unveiling the potential of Urolithin A in Cancer Therapy: Mechanistic Insights to Future Perspectives of Nanomedicine
- Review, Var, NA - Review, AD, NA - Review, IBD, NA
BioAv↝, TumAuto↝, TumCG↓, TumMeta↓, ChemoSen↑, Imm↑, RadioS↑, BioAv↑, other↝, eff↓, *antiOx↓, *Inflam↓, AntiCan↓, AntiAge↑, chemoP↑, *neuroP↑, *ROS↓, *cognitive↑, *lipid-P↓, *cardioP↑, *TNF-α↓, *IL6↓, GutMicro↑, TumCCA↑, Apoptosis↑, angioG↓, NF-kB↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, Casp↑, survivin↓, TumCP↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, cMyc↑, BAX↑, Bcl-2↓, COX2↓, P53↑, p38↑, *ROS↓, *SOD↑, *GPx↑, SIRT1↑, FOXO1↑, eff↑, ChemoSen↑,
4854- Uro,    Urolithins: Emerging natural compound targeting castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)
- Review, Pca, NA
AR↓, ROS↓, Apoptosis↑, selectivity↑, Dose↑, MDA↓, SOD↑, GPx↑, ROS↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 6 of 6

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 6

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

GPx↑, 1,   MDA↓, 1,   ROS↓, 1,   ROS↑, 1,   SOD↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

cMyc↑, 1,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 2,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Casp↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   p38↑, 1,   survivin↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

other↝, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes

TumAuto↝, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair

P53↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

FOXO1↑, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration

TumCP↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

angioG↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

COX2↓, 1,   Imm↑, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,  

Hormonal & Nuclear Receptors

AR↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

BioAv↑, 1,   BioAv↝, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 2,   Dose↑, 1,   eff↓, 1,   eff↑, 1,   RadioS↑, 1,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

AR↓, 1,   GutMicro↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

AntiAge↑, 1,   AntiCan↓, 1,   chemoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 44

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

antiOx↓, 2,   antiOx↑, 2,   Catalase↑, 4,   Ferroptosis↓, 1,   GPx↑, 4,   GSH↑, 1,   GSR↑, 3,   HO-1↑, 1,   lipid-P↓, 5,   NRF2↑, 2,   PARK2↑, 1,   ROS?, 1,   ROS↓, 5,   SIRT3↑, 1,   SOD↑, 5,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

ATP↑, 1,   MMP↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

AMPK↑, 1,   CREB↑, 1,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↓, 1,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Casp3↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↓, 1,   MAPK↓, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes

MitoP↑, 2,   p62↓, 1,   p62↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

mTOR↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   tyrosinase↓, 1,  

Migration

Cartilage↑, 1,  

Barriers & Transport

BBB↓, 1,   BBB↑, 2,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

CRP↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   Inflam↓, 4,   NF-kB↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 2,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission

BDNF↑, 1,   MAOA↓, 1,   monoA↓, 1,   tau↓, 1,   p‑tau↓, 2,  

Protein Aggregation

Aβ↓, 3,   NLRP3↓, 3,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

BioAv↓, 1,   BioAv↑, 1,   eff↑, 2,  

Clinical Biomarkers

CRP↓, 1,   GutMicro↑, 1,   IL6↓, 2,  

Functional Outcomes

cardioP↑, 1,   cognitive↑, 2,   memory↑, 1,   motorD↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 5,   radioP↑, 1,   Risk↓, 2,   Strength↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 63

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: SOD, superoxide dismutase
6 Urolithin
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#:383  Target#:298  State#:%  Dir#:2
wNotes=0 sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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