Juglone / H2O2 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)


H2O2, Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2): Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
H2O2 is a reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can induce oxidative stress in cells. While low levels of ROS can promote cell signaling and proliferation, high levels can lead to DNA damage, apoptosis (programmed cell death), and other cellular dysfunctions. This dual role means that H2O2 can contribute to cancer development and progression, as oxidative stress can lead to mutations and genomic instability.
H2O2 can enhance the effectiveness of certain chemotherapeutic agents by increasing oxidative stress in cancer cells. Additionally, localized delivery of H2O2 has been explored as a means to selectively target and kill cancer cells while sparing normal cells.
Cancer cells often exhibit altered metabolism, leading to increased production of reactive oxygen species, including H2O2. This can result from enhanced mitochondrial activity, increased glycolysis, or other metabolic adaptations that are characteristic of cancer.


Reported H2O2 concentrations for representative compounds.
   Prooxidant          Dose                   Cell Line            H2O2 Produced
EGCG50 µMJurkat~1 µM
EGCG10 µMHCT116 and HT291.5 µM
EGCG100 µMJurkat20 µM
Quercetin70 µMHT292 µM
Menadione10 µMJurkat20 µM
Plumbagin4 µMSiHA and HeLa1 mM
β-Lap1 µMHL-6070 µM
Doxorubicin1 µMPC338 pM
Ascorbic Acid 1 mMHL-60161 µM
Ascorbic Acid0.2–2.0 mMLymphoma20–120 µM
Ascorbic Acidi.v. 0.5 mg/gRats0–20 µM
Ascorbic Acidi.p. 4.0 g/kgMice tumor> 125 µM
TiO210 µg/mLHepG2150 nmol/mL
Paclitaxel100 nMMCF7600 nM
Paclitaxel100 nMHL-601100 nM

Note: many products at lower concentrations act as antioxidants, instead of Prooxidants.

Generally, increased hydrogen peroxide and oxidative stress are associated with poor outcomes, while the specific context and cellular environment can modulate its effects.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
5117- JG,    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31283929/
- vitro+vivo, Liver, NA
TumCG↓, TumCP↓, Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, AMPK↑, mTOR↑, P53↑, H2O2↑, ROS↑,
1918- JG,    ROS -mediated p53 activation by juglone enhances apoptosis and autophagy in vivo and in vitro
- in-vitro, Liver, HepG2 - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCG↓, TumCP↓, Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, AMPK↑, mTOR↑, P53↑, H2O2↑, ROS↑, toxicity↝, p62↓, DR5↑, Casp8↑, PARP↑, cl‑Casp3↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 2 of 2

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 2

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

H2O2↑, 2,   ROS↑, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

AMPK↑, 2,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↑, 2,   cl‑Casp3↑, 1,   Casp8↑, 1,   DR5↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

p62↓, 1,   TumAuto↑, 2,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

P53↑, 2,   PARP↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

mTOR↑, 2,   TumCG↓, 2,  

Migration ⓘ

TumCP↓, 2,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

toxicity↝, 1,  
Total Targets: 15

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: H2O2, Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
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#:105  Target#:138  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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