Shikonin / Akt Cancer Research Results

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)


Akt, PKB-Protein kinase B: Click to Expand ⟱
Source: HalifaxProj(inhibit)
Type:
Akt1 is involved in cellular survival pathways, by inhibiting apoptotic processes; Akt2 is an important signaling molecule in the insulin signaling pathway. It is required to induce glucose transport.

Inhibitors:
-Curcumin: downregulate AKT phosphorylation and signaling.
-Resveratrol
-Quercetin: inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway.
-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
-Luteolin and Apigenin: inhibit AKT phosphorylation


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
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 - in-vitro, NPC, SUNE-1
TumCP↓, Apoptosis↑, TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, GlucoseCon↓, lactateProd↓, ATP↓, PKM2↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, MMP3↓, MMP9↓, TIMP1↑,
2355- SK,    Pharmacological properties and derivatives of shikonin-A review in recent years
- Review, Var, NA
AntiCan↑, TumCP↓, TumCMig↓, Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, Necroptosis↑, ROS↑, TrxR1↓, PKM2↓, RIP1↓, RIP3↓, Src↓, FAK↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, GRP58↓, MMPs↓, ATF2↓, cl‑PARP↑, Casp3↑, p‑p38↑, p‑JNK↑, p‑ERK↓,
2370- SK,    The role of pyruvate kinase M2 in anticancer therapeutic treatments
- Review, Var, NA
Glycolysis↓, PKM2↓, EGFR↓, PI3K↓, p‑Akt↓, Hif1a↓,
2226- SK,    Shikonin, a Chinese plant-derived naphthoquinone, induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through reactive oxygen species: A potential new treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma
- in-vitro, HCC, HUH7 - in-vitro, HCC, Bel-7402
selectivity↑, ROS↑, eff↓, Akt↓, RIP1↓, NF-kB↓,
2225- SK,    Shikonin protects skin cells against oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction induced by fine particulate matter
- in-vitro, Nor, HaCaT
*antiOx↑, *ROS↓, *GSH↑, *GCLC↑, *GSS↑, *Akt↑, *NRF2↑,
2224- SK,    Shikonin induces apoptosis and autophagy via downregulation of pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells
- in-vitro, HCC, SMMC-7721 cell - in-vitro, HCC, HUH7 - in-vitro, HCC, HepG2
PYCR1↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, eff↑,
5103- SK,    Attenuation of PI3K-Akt-mTOR Pathway to Reduce Cancer Stemness on Chemoresistant Lung Cancer Cells by Shikonin and Synergy with BEZ235 Inhibitor
- in-vitro, NSCLC, A549
CSCs↓, TumCP↓, Nanog↓, OCT4↓, p‑Akt↓, P70S6K↓, PI3K↓, mTOR↓, eff↑,
5102- SK,  GEM,    Shikonin suppresses tumor growth and synergizes with gemcitabine in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model: Involvement of NF-κB signaling pathway
TumCG↓, ChemoSen↑, NF-kB↓, PCNA↓, Ki-67↓, p‑EGFR↓, ROS↑, TumCCA↑, P53↑, JNK↑, Akt↓,
3049- SK,    Shikonin Attenuates Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion-Induced Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting Apoptosis via PTEN/Akt/CREB/BDNF Signaling
- in-vivo, Nor, NA - NA, Stroke, NA
*neuroP↑, *p‑PTEN↓, *p‑Akt↑, *Bcl-2↑, *BAX↓, *cognitive↑, *BDNF↑,
3043- SK,    Shikonin Induces Apoptosis by Inhibiting Phosphorylation of IGF-1 Receptor in Myeloma Cells.
- in-vitro, Melanoma, RPMI-8226
IGF-1↓, Apoptosis↑, TumCCA↑, MMP↓, Casp3↑, P53↑, BAX↑, Mcl-1↓, EGFR↓, Src↑, KDR/FLK-1↓, p‑IGF-1↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓,
2469- SK,    Shikonin induces the apoptosis and pyroptosis of EGFR-T790M-mutant drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancer cells via the degradation of cyclooxygenase-2
- in-vitro, Lung, H1975
Apoptosis↑, Pyro↑, Casp↑, cl‑PARP↑, GSDME↑, ROS↑, COX2↓, PDK1↓, Akt↓, ERK↓, eff↓, eff↓, eff↑,
2415- SK,    Shikonin induces programmed death of fibroblast synovial cells in rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting energy pathways
- in-vivo, Arthritis, NA
Apoptosis?, TumAuto↑, ROS↑, ATP↓, Glycolysis↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, *Apoptosis↓, *Inflam↓, *TNF-α↓, *IL6↓, *IL8↓, *IL10↓, *IL17↓, *hepatoP↑, *RenoP↑, PKM2↓, GLUT1↓, HK2↓,
2188- SK,    Molecular mechanism of shikonin inhibiting tumor growth and potential application in cancer treatment
- Review, Var, NA
ROS↑, EGFR↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, angioG↓, Apoptosis↑, Necroptosis↑, GSH↓, Ca+2↓, MMP↓, ERK↓, p38↑, proCasp3↑, eff↓, VEGF↓, FOXO3↑, EGR1↑, SIRT1↑, RIP1↑, RIP3↑, BioAv↓, NF-kB↓, Half-Life↓,
1281- SK,    Enhancement of NK cells proliferation and function by Shikonin
- in-vivo, Colon, Caco-2
Perforin↑, GranB↑, p‑ERK↑, p‑Akt↑, NK cell↑, eff↝,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 14 of 14

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 14

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSH↓, 1,   PYCR1↓, 1,   ROS↑, 6,   TrxR1↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

ATP↓, 2,   MMP↓, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

GlucoseCon↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 2,   HK2↓, 1,   lactateProd↓, 1,   PDK1↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 4,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 9,   p‑Akt↓, 2,   p‑Akt↑, 1,   Apoptosis?, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 5,   ATF2↓, 1,   BAX↑, 1,   Casp↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 2,   proCasp3↑, 1,   GranB↑, 1,   GRP58↓, 1,   GSDME↑, 1,   JNK↑, 1,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   Mcl-1↓, 1,   Necroptosis↑, 2,   p38↑, 1,   p‑p38↑, 1,   Perforin↑, 1,   Pyro↑, 1,   RIP1↓, 2,   RIP1↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

TumAuto↑, 2,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

P53↑, 2,   cl‑PARP↑, 2,   PCNA↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

TumCCA↑, 2,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

CSCs↓, 1,   ERK↓, 2,   p‑ERK↓, 1,   p‑ERK↑, 1,   FOXO3↑, 1,   IGF-1↓, 1,   p‑IGF-1↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 4,   Nanog↓, 1,   OCT4↓, 1,   P70S6K↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 8,   Src↓, 1,   Src↑, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

Ca+2↓, 1,   FAK↓, 1,   Ki-67↓, 1,   MMP3↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   MMPs↓, 1,   RIP3↓, 1,   RIP3↑, 1,   TIMP1↑, 1,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 2,   TumCP↓, 3,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,   EGFR↓, 3,   p‑EGFR↓, 1,   EGR1↑, 1,   Hif1a↓, 1,   KDR/FLK-1↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT1↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 3,   NK cell↑, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 1,   eff↓, 4,   eff↑, 3,   eff↝, 1,   Half-Life↓, 1,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

EGFR↓, 3,   p‑EGFR↓, 1,   Ki-67↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiCan↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 90

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 1,   GCLC↑, 1,   GSH↑, 1,   GSS↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↑, 1,   p‑Akt↑, 1,   Apoptosis↓, 1,   BAX↓, 1,   Bcl-2↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

p‑PTEN↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

IL10↓, 1,   IL17↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   IL8↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

BDNF↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cognitive↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 24

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Akt, PKB-Protein kinase B
14 Shikonin
1 Gemcitabine (Gemzar)
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#:4  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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