Geraniol / Casp3 Cancer Research Results

Ger, Geraniol: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:

Geraniol — an acyclic monoterpene alcohol and fragrance compound found in citronella, palmarosa, rose, lemongrass, rose-geranium, and several other essential oils. It is formally classified as a plant-derived monoterpenoid natural product; Citronella oil is not equivalent to geraniol: it is a variable multi-component essential oil distilled primarily from Cymbopogon winterianus or Cymbopogon nardus, with citronellal, geraniol, citronellol, geranyl acetate, limonene, and other terpenes as principal constituents.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

  1. Induction of intrinsic and caspase-dependent apoptosis through mitochondrial dysfunction, altered BAX/BCL-2 balance, cytochrome-c release, and caspase activation.
  2. Suppression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR survival and growth signalling.
  3. Disruption of mevalonate and lipid metabolism, including inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase activity and reduced availability of intermediates required for membrane synthesis and protein prenylation.
  4. Suppression of NF-κB, inflammatory cytokine, MAPK, and JAK/STAT3 signalling in responsive cancer models.
  5. Cell-cycle arrest and inhibition of DNA synthesis, proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition.
  6. Chemosensitization, particularly enhancement of 5-fluorouracil activity in colorectal-cancer models.
  7. Redox modulation, with pro-oxidant mitochondrial stress reported in some cancer models but antioxidant and NRF2-associated cytoprotection reported in non-cancer and injury models; direction is strongly context-dependent.

Bioavailability / PK relevance: Geraniol is lipophilic and can be absorbed after oral administration, but it is rapidly distributed and extensively converted to geranic acid, dihydrogeranic acid, glucuronide conjugates, and other metabolites. Rat studies indicate a short blood half-life and large formulation-dependent differences in oral bioavailability. Recent mouse studies likewise show rapid metabolism, so free-geraniol exposure is transient. Emulsions, lipid carriers, nanoformulations, and encapsulation may increase exposure, but these delivery systems do not establish clinical anticancer efficacy. Citronella-oil composition and exposure vary substantially with species, chemotype, cultivation, storage, and formulation.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many anticancer experiments use geraniol concentrations in the tens to hundreds of micromolar range, and some use still higher levels. These sustained concentrations may exceed free systemic concentrations achievable through ordinary dietary or flavouring exposure because geraniol is rapidly metabolized and cleared. Direct comparison is difficult because human plasma PK data for therapeutic dosing are limited. Cytotoxic findings from undiluted or concentrated citronella oil should not be attributed solely to geraniol because citronellal, citronellol, methyl isoeugenol, limonene, and minor constituents may contribute independently or interact.

Clinical evidence status: Preclinical. Evidence consists primarily of cancer-cell studies, chemically induced animal-tumour models, and xenograft studies. Geraniol has shown enhancement of 5-fluorouracil in colorectal-cancer models, but there are no established randomized controlled trials demonstrating that isolated oral or systemic geraniol treats cancer. A clinical study of a multi-ingredient topical essential-oil formulation for HPV-related disease cannot establish geraniol-specific efficacy. Neither geraniol nor citronella oil is an approved anticancer treatment or validated oncology adjunct.

Safety / regulatory relevance: Geraniol is widely used as a flavouring and fragrance ingredient, while citronella oil is also used as a flavouring and insect-repellent ingredient. Food-use safety evaluations do not establish safety at pharmacological anticancer doses. Geraniol is a recognized fragrance allergen and can cause allergic contact dermatitis, particularly after oxidation. Concentrated citronella oil can irritate skin, eyes, mucosa, and the gastrointestinal tract and should not be treated as interchangeable with food-grade geraniol. Citronella oil also contains composition-dependent constituents, including methyl isoeugenol in some preparations, that require separate toxicological consideration.

Geraniol Cancer Mechanisms

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Mitochondrial apoptosis ↑ BAX/BCL-2 ratio; ↑ cytochrome-c release; ↑ caspase-9 and caspase-3; ↓ mitochondrial membrane potential ↔ or ↓ apoptotic injury in some oxidative-stress models (context-dependent) Apoptosis and reduced tumour-cell survival One of the most consistently reported endpoints, but effective concentrations and upstream triggers vary by cell line.
2 PI3K AKT mTOR signalling ↓ PI3K; ↓ phosphorylated AKT; ↓ mTOR and downstream survival signalling ↔ or ↑ AKT-mediated survival in selected injury models (context-dependent) Reduced proliferation, survival, protein synthesis, and treatment resistance Observed in oral, nasopharyngeal, prostate, and other experimental cancer systems; direct molecular binding has not been established consistently.
3 Mevalonate and lipid metabolism ↓ HMG-CoA reductase activity; ↓ mevalonate-pathway flux; altered fatty-acid and phospholipid metabolism ↓ cholesterol synthesis (dose-dependent) Reduced membrane synthesis, proliferation, and potentially protein prenylation Mechanistically important in hepatocarcinoma and chemically induced colorectal-tumour models. Rescue by mevalonate has not been demonstrated uniformly across models.
4 NF-κB inflammatory survival signalling ↓ NF-κB activation; ↓ inflammatory and anti-apoptotic signalling ↓ NF-κB-driven inflammation in several non-cancer models Reduced survival, inflammation, invasion, and apoptosis resistance NF-κB modulation may be downstream of AKT inhibition or redox changes rather than a single direct target.
5 JAK STAT3 signalling ↓ STAT3 activation; ↓ survival and proliferation signals Insufficient evidence Apoptosis and suppression of tumour-promoting transcription Reported in selected thyroid and other cancer-cell models; breadth across tumour types remains uncertain.
6 MAPK stress and proliferation signalling ↓ or altered ERK, JNK, and p38 signalling (model-dependent) ↔ or protective modulation (context-dependent) Cell-cycle arrest, stress signalling, and apoptosis The direction differs by cell type, concentration, and treatment duration; the MAPK family should not be represented as uniformly inhibited.
7 Cell cycle and DNA synthesis ↓ DNA synthesis; ↓ cyclin-associated progression; ↑ cell-cycle arrest Insufficient evidence at comparable exposure Reduced proliferation Cell-cycle phase varies among studies and may reflect secondary effects of metabolic stress or apoptosis.
8 Migration invasion and EMT ↓ migration; ↓ invasion; ↓ mesenchymal phenotype (model-dependent) Insufficient evidence Reduced metastatic behaviour Predominantly in-vitro evidence; clinically relevant anti-metastatic activity has not been demonstrated.
9 Mitochondrial ROS increase ↑ ROS and oxidative stress in some cytotoxic models (dose-dependent) (high concentration only) ↓ oxidative injury in multiple inflammatory or toxic-injury models (context-dependent) Oxidative mitochondrial damage and apoptosis Geraniol is not uniformly pro-oxidant. Redox direction depends on tissue, baseline stress, concentration, and treatment duration.
10 NRF2 antioxidant response ↔ or uncertain; possible cytoprotection in some contexts ↑ NRF2-associated antioxidant enzymes in selected injury models Secondary antioxidant and tissue-protective response NRF2 is not a well-established central anticancer mechanism for geraniol. Persistent NRF2 activation could theoretically protect some tumour cells.
11 5-Fluorouracil chemosensitization ↑ response to 5-fluorouracil; ↓ tumour growth in colorectal xenograft models Insufficient selectivity data Enhanced chemotherapy activity Promising preclinical interaction, but human efficacy, optimal scheduling, toxicity, and pharmacokinetic interactions are unknown.
12 Clinical Translation Constraint Rapid metabolism; transient free-geraniol exposure; many studies use high concentrations Fragrance sensitization and irritation; systemic high-dose safety incompletely characterized Limits direct translation of experimental cytotoxicity Formulation strongly affects bioavailability. Citronella oil is a heterogeneous mixture and cannot be dosed or interpreted as purified geraniol.


Casp3, CPP32, Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Also known as CP32.
Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3) is a common key protein in the apoptosis and pyroptosis pathways, and when activated, the expression level of tumor suppressor gene Gasdermin E (GSDME) determines the mechanism of tumor cell death.
As a key protein of apoptosis, caspase-3 can also cleave GSDME and induce pyroptosis. Loss of caspase activity is an important cause of tumor progression.
Many anticancer strategies rely on the promotion of apoptosis in cancer cells as a means to shrink tumors. Crucial for apoptotic function are executioner caspases, most notably caspase-3, that proteolyze a variety of proteins, inducing cell death. Paradoxically, overexpression of procaspase-3 (PC-3), the low-activity zymogen precursor to caspase-3, has been reported in a variety of cancer types. Until recently, this counterintuitive overexpression of a pro-apoptotic protein in cancer has been puzzling. Recent studies suggest subapoptotic caspase-3 activity may promote oncogenic transformation, a possible explanation for the enigmatic overexpression of PC-3. Herein, the overexpression of PC-3 in cancer and its mechanistic basis is reviewed; collectively, the data suggest the potential for exploitation of PC-3 overexpression with PC-3 activators as a targeted anticancer strategy.
Caspase 3 is the main effector caspase and has a key role in apoptosis. In many types of cancer, including breast, lung, and colon cancer, caspase-3 expression is reduced or absent.
On the other hand, some studies have shown that high levels of caspase-3 expression can be associated with a better prognosis in certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer. This suggests that caspase-3 may play a role in the elimination of cancer cells, and that therapies aimed at activating caspase-3 may be effective in treating certain types of cancer.
Procaspase-3 is a apoptotic marker protein.
Prognostic significance:
• High Cas3 expression: Associated with good prognosis and increased sensitivity to chemotherapy in breast, gastric, lung, and pancreatic cancers.
• Low Cas3 expression: Linked to poor prognosis and increased risk of recurrence in colorectal, hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
6567- Ger,    Geraniin inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis through inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway in human colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo
- vitro+vivo, CRC, SW480 - in-vitro, CRC, HT29
AntiTum↑, *Inflam↓, *antiOx↓, TumCP↓, BAX↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, Bcl-2↓, TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, p‑PI3K↓, p‑Akt↓, Dose↝, TumCG↓,
6569- Ger,    Geraniol inhibits cell growth and promotes caspase-dependent apoptosis in nasopharyngeal cancer C666-1 cells via inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway
- in-vitro, NPC, C666-1
tumCV↓, MMP↓, Apoptosis↑, TBARS↑, GSH↓, SOD↓, BAX↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, DNAdam↑, ROS↑,
6570- Ger,    Apoptosis-Mediated Anticancer Activity of Geraniol Inhibits NF-κB, MAPK, and JAK-STAT-3 Signaling Pathways in Human Thyroid Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, Thyroid, TPC-1
*Inflam↓, AntiCan↑, *neuroP↑, tumCV↓, TumCP↓, ROS↑, Apoptosis?, MMP↓, Bcl-2↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, cMyc↓, COX2↓, TNF-α↓, NF-kB↓, IL6↓, survivin↓, BAX↑, Casp3↑, JAK2↓, STAT3↓, ERK↓,
6573- Ger,    Systematic elucidation of the mechanism of geraniol via network pharmacology
- Study, Nor, NA - Study, Var, NA
HO-1↝, HRAS↓, *IL8↓, *AChE↓, NF-kB↓, PCNA↓, BAX↑, Bcl-2↓, P53↑, Casp3↑, Casp8↑, Casp9↑,

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:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSH↓, 1,   HO-1↝, 1,   ROS↑, 2,   SOD↓, 1,   TBARS↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↓, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

cMyc↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   p‑Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis?, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   BAX↑, 4,   Bcl-2↓, 3,   Casp3↑, 4,   Casp8↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 3,   survivin↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

tumCV↓, 2,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 1,   P53↑, 1,   PCNA↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ERK↓, 1,   HRAS↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   p‑PI3K↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 2,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   JAK2↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 2,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Dose↝, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiCan↑, 1,   AntiTum↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 43

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

IL8↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 2,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

AChE↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

neuroP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 5

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Casp3, CPP32, Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3
4 Geraniol
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#:414  Target#:42  State#:%  Dir#:2
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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