Database Query Results : Shikonin, , TumCMig

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)

TumCMig, Tumor cell migration: Click to Expand ⟱

Source:

Type:

Tumor cell migration is a critical process in cancer progression and metastasis, which is the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to distant sites in the body.

Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱

2232-

SK,

Shikonin Induces Autophagy and Apoptosis in Esophageal Cancer EC9706 Cells by Regulating the AMPK/mTOR/ULK Axis

in-vitro,

ESCC,

EC9706

2.26 ± 0.12 µM

tumCV↓, Shikonin exposure repressed cell viability and migration and invasion capabilities and caused EC9706 cell autophagy and apoptosis by activating the AMPK/mTOR/ULK axis.
TumCMig↓,
TumCI↓,
TumAuto↑,
Apoptosis↑,
Bcl-2↓, Bcl-2 protein expressions were decreased; nevertheless, the protein expression of Bax, cleaved caspase3, cleaved caspase-8, and cleaved PARP were elevated with increasing concentrations of shikonin
BAX↑,
cl‑Casp3↑,
cl‑Casp8↑,
cl‑PARP↑,
AMPK↑, Shikonin-Induced Autophagy and Apoptosis Through Activation of AMPK/mTOR/ULK Pathway
mTOR↑,
TumVol↓, The tumor diameter is reduced by more than 25%, the response rate is 37%, and the 1-year survival rate is 47%
OS↑,
LC3I↑, Similarly, shikonin can upregulate the protein expression of LC3 in EC9706 cells

2360-

SK,

Shikonin inhibits growth, invasion and glycolysis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through inactivating the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/AKT signal pathway

in-vitro,

NPC,

HONE1

4 or 8 umol/L

in-vitro,

NPC,

SUNE-1

TumCP↓, Shikonin treatment effectively suppressed cell proliferation and induced obvious cell apoptosis compared with the control.
Apoptosis↑,
TumCMig↓, Shikonin treatment suppressed cell migration and invasion effectively.
TumCI↓,
GlucoseCon↓, Shikonin treatment suppressed cell glucose uptake, lactate release and ATP level.
lactateProd↓,
ATP↓,
PKM2↓, activity of PKM2 was also largely inhibited by Shikonin
PI3K↓, PI3K/AKT signal pathway was inactivated by Shikonin treatment
Akt↓,
MMP3↓, MMP-3 and MMP-9 was decreased and the expression of TIMP was increased by Shikonin in HONE1 and SUNE-1 cells
MMP9↓,
TIMP1↑,

2355-

SK,

Pharmacological properties and derivatives of shikonin-A review in recent years

Review,

Var,

AntiCan↑, anticancer effects on various types of cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation and migration, inducing apoptosis, autophagy, and necroptosis.
TumCP↓,
TumCMig↓,
Apoptosis↑,
TumAuto↑,
Necroptosis↑,
ROS↑, Shikonin also triggers Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation
TrxR1↓, inhibiting the activation of TrxR1, PKM2, RIP1/3, Src, and FAK
PKM2↓,
RIP1↓,
RIP3↓,
Src↓,
FAK↓,
PI3K↓, modulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPKs signaling;
Akt↓, shikonin induced a dose-dependent reduction of miR-19a to inhibit the activity of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway
mTOR↓,
GRP58↓, shikonin induced apoptosis in human myeloid cell line HL-60 cells through downregulating the expression of ERS protein ERP57 (42).
MMPs↓, hikonin suppressed cell migration through inhibiting the NF-ÎºB pathway and reducing the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9
ATF2↓, shikonin inhibited cell proliferation and tumor growth through suppressing the ATF2 pathway
cl‑PARP↑, shikonin significantly upregulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins cleaved PARP and caspase-3 and increased cell apoptosis through increasing the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and JNK, and inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK
Casp3↑,
p‑p38↑,
p‑JNK↑,
p‑ERK↓,

2234-

SK,

Shikonin Suppresses Cell Tumorigenesis in Gastric Cancer Associated with the Inhibition of c-Myc and Yap-1

in-vitro,

GC,

TumCP↓, proliferation rate, migration, and invasion ability of the gastric cancer cell group decreased significantly after shikonin intervention for 24h
TumCI↓,
TumCMig↓,
cMyc↓, expression levels of c-Myc and Yap-1 in gastric cancer cells were found to be significantly decreased after shikonin intervention
YAP/TEAD↓,

3048-

SK,

Shikonin inhibits triple-negative breast cancer-cell metastasis by reversing the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via glycogen synthase kinase 3β-regulated suppression of β-catenin signaling

in-vitro,

BC,

MDA-MB-231

in-vitro,

BC,

4T1

in-vitro,

Nor,

MCF12A

in-vivo,

NA,

tumCV↓, results revealed that shikonin potently decreased the viabilities of TNBC MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells but showed less cytotoxicity to normal mammary epithelial MCF-12A cells
selectivity↑,
EMT↓, shikonin reversed the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells.
TumCMig↓, Shikonin depressed cell migration and invasion, upregulated E-cadherin levels, downregulated N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail levels, and reorganized the cytoskeletal proteins F-actin and vimentin.
TumCI↓,
E-cadherin↑,
N-cadherin↓,
Vim↓,
Snail↓,
β-catenin/ZEB1↓, Shikonin reversed EMT by inhibiting activation of β-catenin signaling through attenuating β-catenin expression
GSK‐3β↑, shikonin upregulated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) levels, leading to enhanced phosphorylation and decreased levels of β-catenin.

3046-

SK,

Shikonin attenuates lung cancer cell adhesion to extracellular matrix and metastasis by inhibiting integrin β1 expression and the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

in-vitro,

Lung,

A549

TumCP↓, A549 cells were treated with shikonin for 24 h, 8.0 μM shikonin significantly inhibited cell proliferation,
TumCI↓, while cells treated with less than 2.0 μM shikonin for 24 h significantly suppressed cell adhesion to the ECM, invasion and migration in a dose-dependent manner.
TumCMig↓,
p‑ERK↓, shikonin repressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2
ITGB1↓, shikonin suppresses lung cancer invasion and metastasis by inhibiting integrin β1 expression and the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

3045-

SK,

Cutting off the fuel supply to calcium pumps in pancreatic cancer cells: role of pyruvate kinase-M2 (PKM2)

in-vitro,

PC,

MIA PaCa-2

ECAR↓, Shikonin caused a concentration- and time-dependent inhibition of ECAR, which was more effective in highly glycolytic cells cultured in high-glucose (25 mM, Fig. 3ci) vs glucose-restricted cells (5 mM, Fig. 3cii).
Glycolysis↓, Collectively, these data suggest that shikonin exerts its cytotoxicity by inhibiting glycolysis and inducing ATP depletion, most likely due to inhibition of PKM2.
ATP↓, Only the highest concentration of shikonin (5 µM) induced a significant ATP depletion between 15 min and 6 h
PKM2↓,
TumCMig↓, Shikonin reduces PDAC cell migration
Ca+2↑, Shikonin induces cytotoxic Ca2+ overload
GlucoseCon↓, shikonin inhibited glucose consumption and lactate production with an IC50 of 5–10 μM in MCF-7 cells that exclusively express PKM2
lactateProd↓,
MMP↓, Shikonin is also reported to impair mitochondrial function and increase oxidative stress
ROS↑,

2417-

SK,

Shikonin inhibits the Warburg effect, cell proliferation, invasion and migration by downregulating PFKFB2 expression in lung cancer

in-vitro,

Lung,

A549

in-vitro,

Lung,

H446

TumCP↓, Shikonin treatment decreased the proliferation, migration, invasion, glucose uptake, lactate levels, ATP levels and PFKFB2 expression levels and increased apoptosis in lung cancer cells in a dose‑dependent manner.
TumCMig↓,
TumCI↓,
GlucoseCon↓,
lactateProd↓,
PFKFB2↓,
Warburg↓, shikonin inhibited the Warburg effect and exerted antitumor activity in lung cancer cells, which was associated with the downregulation of PFKFB2 expression.
GLUT1∅, while the expression levels of the other proteins (PDK1, GLUT1, PGK2, LDHA, PKM2, GLUT3, PDH and p-PDH) were not altered by shikonin treatment.
LDHA∅,
PKM2∅,
GLUT3∅,
PDH∅,

2183-

SK,

Shikonin Inhibites Migration and Invasion of Thyroid Cancer Cells by Downregulating DNMT1

in-vitro,

Thyroid,

TPC-1

0.744 μg/mL

TumCMig↓, Shikonin inhibited TPC-1 cell migration and invasion in a dose-dependent manner
TumCI↓,
PTEN↑, The methylation of PTEN was suppressed by shikonin (increased the expression of PTEN)
DNMT1↓, which also reduced the expression of DNMT1

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

2210-

SK,

Shikonin inhibits the cell viability, adhesion, invasion and migration of the human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803 via the Toll-like receptor 2/nuclear factor-kappa B pathway

in-vitro,

BC,

MGC803

1.854 μm

TumCA↓, Shikonin (1 μm) inhibited significantly the adhesion, invasion and migratory ability of MGC-803 cells.
TumCI↓,
TumCMig↓,
MMP2↓, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2, MMP-7, TLR2 and p65 NF-κB
MMP7↓,
TLR2↓,
p65↓,
NF-kB↓,
eff↑, In addition, the co-incubation of Shikonin and anti-TLR2/MG-132 has a significant stronger activity than anti-TLR2 or MG-132 alone.
ROS↑, Shikonin-induced ROS generation

2203-

SK,

Shikonin suppresses small cell lung cancer growth via inducing ATF3-mediated ferroptosis to promote ROS accumulation

in-vitro,

Lung,

TumCP↓, shikonin effectively suppressed cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and colony formation and slightly induced apoptosis in SCLC cells
Apoptosis↓,
TumCMig↓,
TumCI↓,
Ferroptosis↑, shikonin could also induced ferroptosis in SCLC cells
ERK↓, Shikonin treatment effectively suppressed the activation of ERK, the expression of ferroptosis inhibitor GPX4, and elevated the level of 4-HNE, a biomarker of ferroptosis
GPx4↓,
4-HNE↑, elevated the level of 4-HNE, a biomarker of ferroptosis
ROS↑, ROS and lipid ROS were increased, while the GSH levels were decreased in SCLC cells after shikonin treatment.
GSH↓,
ATF3↑, shikonin activated ATF3 transcription by impairing the recruitment of HDAC1 mediated by c-myc on the ATF3 promoter, and subsequently elevating of histone acetylation
HDAC1↓,
ac‑Histones↑,

2190-

SK,

Shikonin exerts antitumor activity by causing mitochondrial dysfunction in hepatocellular carcinoma through PKM2-AMPK-PGC1α signaling pathway

in-vitro,

HCC,

HCCLM3

TumCP↓, shikonin inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of HCCLM3 cells, and promoted cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner
TumCMig↓,
TumCI↓,
Apoptosis↑,
MMP↓, shikonin affected mitochondrial function by disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential and oxidative stress (OS) status.
ROS↑,
OCR↓, shikonin decreased the oxygen consumption rate of HCCLM3 cells, as well as the levels of ATP and metabolites involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle)
ATP↓,
PKM2↓, Shikonin decreased the expression of PKM2 in the mitochondria

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 13

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiCan↑, 1, OS↑, 1, TumVol↓, 2, TumW↓, 1,
Total Targets: 86

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: TumCMig, Tumor cell migration

13 Shikonin
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#:150  Target#:326  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

Database Query Results : Shikonin, , TumCMig

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:

Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Cell Death ⓘ

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

Migration ⓘ

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

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