Database Query Results : Shikonin, , ChemoSen

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

13.35uM

in-vitro,

GC,

SGC-7901

9.63uM

in-vitro,

Nor,

GES-1

>20 μM

selectivity↑, In vitro, SHK suppresses proliferation and triggers cell death of gastric cancer cells but leads minor damage to gastric epithelial cells.
TumCP↓,
TumCD↑,
ROS↑, SHK induces the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), depolarizes the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ultimately triggers mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.
MMP↓,
Casp↑, SHK induces apoptosis of gastric cancer cells not only in a caspase-dependent manner which releases Cytochrome C and triggers the caspase cascade
Cyt‑c↑,
Endon↑, nuclear translocation of AIF and Endonuclease G
AIF↑,
eff↓, NAC and GSH significantly inhibited SHK-induced death
ChemoSen↑, SHK enhances chemotherapeutic sensitivity of 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin
TumCCA↑, SHK caused S-phase cell cycle arrest in SGC-7901 and BGC-823 gastric cancer cells
GSH/GSSG↓, We found that the GSH/GSSG ratio was significantly decreased when treated with SHK.
lipid-P↑, SHK increases lipid peroxidation and induces apoptosis in vivo

5102-

SK,

GEM,

Shikonin suppresses tumor growth and synergizes with gemcitabine in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model: Involvement of NF-κB signaling pathway

TumCG↓, shikonin alone significantly suppressed tumor growth and argumented the antitumor activity of gemcitabine.
ChemoSen↑,
NF-kB↓, down-regulation of NF-κB activity and its target genes, decreased proliferation (PCNA and Ki-67)
PCNA↓,
Ki-67↓,
p‑EGFR↓, suppress EGFR phosphorylation [26], generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) [27], [28], arrest the cell cycle through p53 upregulation
ROS↑,
TumCCA↑,
P53↑,
JNK↑, activate the stress-related c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway [30], and inactivate Akt and NF-κB pathways
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↓, The results of CCK-8 showed that shikonin significantly inhibited cell viability of HCC cells.
GlucoseCon↓, The levels of glucose uptake and lactate production were dramatically decreased by shikonin-treated.
lactateProd↓,
ChemoSen↑, shikonin enhanced the anti-cancer effect of sorafenib in vitro and in vivo.
PKM2↓, By inhibiting PKM2, shikonin inhibited proliferation and glycolysis and induced cell apoptosis in HCC cells.
Glycolysis↓,

2184-

SK,

Cisplatin,

PKM2 Inhibitor Shikonin Overcomes the Cisplatin Resistance in Bladder Cancer by Inducing Necroptosis

in-vitro,

CRC,

T24/HTB-9

PKM2↓, Down-regulation of PKM2 by siRNA or inhibition of PKM2 by shikonin re-sensitized the cisplatin resistant T24 cells.
ChemoSen↑,
Necroptosis↑, shikonin kills the T24 cisplatin resistant cells by inducing 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

2 µM, 4 µM, 6 µM, and 8 µM

5.739 µM

in-vitro,

Lung,

PC9

6.302 µM

in-vivo,

NA,

mice

tumCV↓, shikonin inhibited the viability, proliferation, invasion, and migration of NSCLC cells A549 and PC9, and induced apoptosis.
TumCP↓,
TumCI↓,
TumCMig↓,
Apoptosis↑,
PKM2↓, As the inhibitor of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), a key enzyme in glycolysis, shikonin inhibited glucose uptake and the production of lactate
Glycolysis↓,
GlucoseCon↓,
lactateProd↓,
ChemoSen↑, In vivo chemotherapeutic assay showed that shikonin reduced the tumor volume and weight in NSCLC mice model and increased the sensitivity to cisplatin chemotherapy.
TumVol↓,
TumW↓,
GLUT1↓, combination of shikonin and cisplatin downregulated the expression of PKM2 and its transcriptionally regulated downstream gene glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) in tumor tissue

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,

mice

ChemoSen↑, combination of shikonin and cisplatin exhibited synergistic anticancer efficacy
selectivity↑, and achieved greater selectivity between cancer cells and normal cells.
i-ROS↑, By inducing intracellular oxidative stress, shikonin potentiated cisplatin-induced DNA damage, followed by increased activation of mitochondrial pathway.
DNAdam↑,
MMP↓,
TumCCA↑, induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest
eff↓, NAC and GSH were used in our experiment. The MTT results revealed that scavenging of ROS fully attenuated combined treatment-induced cell growth inhibition against HCT116 cell
*toxicity↓, combined treatment showed less cytotoxicity toward NCM460 normal human colon mucosal epithelial cells

1073-

SK,

Chemo,

Natural Compound Shikonin Is a Novel PAK1 Inhibitor and Enhances Efficacy of Chemotherapy against Pancreatic Cancer Cells

in-vitro,

PC,

PANC1

7.252 ± 0.054 μM

in-vitro,

PC,

Bxpc-3

PAK1↓, significantly inhibited the activity of PAK1 kinase
TumCP↓,
Apoptosis↑,
ChemoSen↑, shikonin sensitized pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapeutic
ROS↑, Moreover, shikonin has been shown to trigger ROS-based mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and significantly inhibited tumor growth in a human colon cancer SW480 xenograft mouse model [18]

2196-

SK,

Research progress in mechanism of anticancer action of shikonin targeting reactive oxygen species

Review,

Var,

*ALAT↓, shikonin was found to mitigate the rise in ALT and AST levels triggered by LPS/GalN
*AST↓,
*Inflam?, demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of shikonin within two traditional mouse models frequently employed in pharmacological research to assess anti-inflammatory activities
*EMT↑, Shikonin stimulates EMT by weakening the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65
ROS?, naphthoquinone framework possesses the capacity to produce ROS, which in turn modulate cellular oxidative stress levels
TrxR1↓, Duan and colleagues demonstrated that shikonin specifically inhibits the physiological function of TrxR1 by targeting its Sec residue
PERK↑, In vivo Western blot of HCT-15(colon cancer) xenografts showed shikonin upregulated PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP and IRE1α/JNK pathways.
eIF2α↑,
ATF4↑,
CHOP↑,
IRE1↑,
JNK↑,
eff↝, oral shikonin did not demonstrate anti-tumor effects in the colorectal cancer model, intraperitoneal injection significantly inhibited tumor growth.
DR5↑, upregulation of Death Receptor 5 (DR5) in cholangiocarcinoma cells through ROS-induced activation of the JNK signaling cascade.
Glycolysis↓, inhibited glycolysis in HepG2 cells by suppressing the activity of PKM2, a critical enzyme within the glycolytic pathway
PKM2↓,
ChemoSen↑, The combination of shikonin with drugs can reverse drug resistance and enhance therapeutic efficacy
GPx4↓, shikonin conjunction with cisplatin overcame drug resistance in cancer cells, downregulated GPX4, and upregulated haemoglobin oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) inducing iron death in cells.
HO-1↑,

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

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

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#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

Database Query Results : Shikonin, , ChemoSen

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Cell Death ⓘ

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

Migration ⓘ

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

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