Database Query Results : Thymoquinone, , Sp1/3/4

TQ, Thymoquinone: Click to Expand ⟱
Features: Anti-oxidant, anti-tumor
Thymoquinone is a bioactive compound found in the seeds of Nigella sativa, commonly known as black seed or black cumin.
Pathways:
-Cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, ROS generation in cancer cells
-inhibit the activation of NF-κB, Suppress the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade
-Inhibit angiogenic factors such as VEGF, MMPs
-Inhibit HDACs, UHRF1, and DNMTs

-Note half-life 3-6hrs.
BioAv low oral bioavailability due to its lipophilic nature. Note refridgeration of Black seed oil improves the stability of TQ.
DIY: ~1 part lecithin : 2–3 parts black seed oil : 4–5 parts warm water. (chat ai)
Pathways:
- usually induce ROS production in Cancer cells, and lowers ROS in normal cells
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, Prx,
- May Low AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓(usually contrary), GSH↓ HO1↓(contrary), GPx↓
- 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↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, TGF-β↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMTs↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓, TET↑
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PDKs↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, α↓, ERK↓, JNK,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Label Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS Driver Upstream cytotoxic trigger Primary studies show TQ rapidly increases ROS; antioxidant/ROS modulation attenuates downstream effects, supporting ROS as an initiating mechanism in multiple cancer contexts (ref)
2 Glutathione (GSH) redox buffering ↓ GSH Driver Redox-collapse amplification Same prostate cancer study reports early GSH depletion alongside ROS rise; together these form a redox “one-two punch” that helps explain selective stress in tumor cells (ref)
3 Mitochondrial integrity (ΔΨm) ↓ ΔΨm Driver Mitochondrial dysfunction (MOMP axis) Primary leukemia/cancer study reports disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential after TQ exposure (mitochondrial events central to TQ-mediated death) (ref)
4 Intrinsic apoptosis (caspase-9 → caspase-3; PARP) ↑ caspases / ↑ apoptosis Driver Execution-phase cell death Same primary paper reports activation of caspases (8/9/3) with mitochondrial involvement—core evidence for apoptosis as the major outcome pathway (ref)
5 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity Secondary Reduced pro-survival / inflammatory transcription Colon cancer work: TQ induces cell death and chemosensitizes cells by inhibiting NF-κB signaling (explicit pathway-direction support) (ref)
6 STAT3 signaling ↓ p-STAT3 / ↓ STAT3 activation Secondary Reduced survival/proliferation signaling Gastric cancer study explicitly reports TQ suppresses constitutive STAT3 activation and related signaling readouts (ref)
7 NRF2 antioxidant-response axis (NRF2/HO-1 program) ↑ NRF2 pathway (often as stress-response) Adaptive Cellular antioxidant counter-response In TNBC context, a primary study reports TQ upregulates NRF2 (and evaluates downstream immune/checkpoint consequences), consistent with NRF2 acting as an adaptive response to redox stress (ref)
8 HIF-1α hypoxia signaling ↓ HIF-1α protein / ↓ HIF-1α program Adaptive Loss of hypoxia survival signaling Renal cancer hypoxia paper identifies TQ as suppressing HIF-1α and links this to selective killing under hypoxia (ref)
9 Glycolysis / Warburg output (hypoxia-linked) ↓ glycolysis (↓ HIF-1α–mediated glycolytic genes; ↓ glycolytic metabolism) Phenotypic Metabolic suppression In hypoxic renal cancer, TQ suppresses HIF-1α–mediated glycolysis; in CRC, TQ inhibits glycolytic metabolism alongside tumor growth limitation (ref)  |  (ref)


Sp1/3/4, Specificity Protein: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
SP2 (Specificity Protein 2) and SP3 (Specificity Protein 3) are also members of the Sp/KLF (Sp1/Krüppel-like factor) family of transcription factors, similar to SP1. They share some functional similarities but also have distinct roles in cellular processes and cancer biology.
-Sp proteins are a family of transcription factors that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression.
-SP1 is often overexpressed in various types of cancer, including breast, prostate, and lung cancers. However, expression levels of Sp in normal cells and tissues are low to undetectable.

SP inhibitors:
-Curcumin, Resveratrol, EGCG, Genistein, Piperlongumine, Betulinic acid
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
3430- TQ,    Targeting microRNAs with thymoquinone: a new approach for cancer therapy
- Review, Var, NA
miR-29b↑, TQ (15 mg/kg of mouse body weight) through up-regulating miR-29b expression could obstruct the Specificity protein 1 (Sp1)- NF-κB feedback loop in mice bearing leukemia and eventually reduced the rate of tumor growth
Sp1/3/4↓,
TumCG↓,
Rac1↓, TQ could exert its own anti-proliferative effects on breast cancer cells via significant up-regulation of miR-32a by which expression of Rac1 was diminished in both in vitro (1 μg/mL) and in vivo (5 mg/kg of body weight) approaches [
angioG↓, TQ has presented favorable features as an inhibitor of angiogenesis and metastasis processes
TumMeta↓,

3429- TQ,    Thymoquinone exerts potent growth-suppressive activity on leukemia through DNA hypermethylation reversal in leukemia cells
- in-vitro, AML, NA - in-vivo, NA, NA
DNMT1↓, Further, exposure of leukemia cell lines and patient primary cells to TQ resulted in DNMT1 downregulation, mechanistically, through dissociation of Sp1/NFkB complex from DNMT1 promoter.
Sp1/3/4↓,
NF-kB↓,
Apoptosis↑, led to a reduction of DNA methylation, a decrease of colony formation and an increase of cell apoptosis via the activation of caspases.
Casp↑,
Bcl-xL↓, been shown to downregulate the expression of Bcl-xL [18], COX-2 [19], iNOS [20], 5-LOX [21], TNF [22] and cyclin D1 [16]
COX2↓,
iNOS↓,
5LO↓,
TNF-α↓,
cycD1/CCND1↓,
BioAv↝, The stability data revealed that the compound was stable at −20°C under dim light condition, but not at 25°C and 37°C. Thus, TQ is more stable in the dark and at cold temperature.
TumCG↓, TQ administration attenuates leukemia growth in mice


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

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↑, 1,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   Casp↑, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction ⓘ

Sp1/3/4↓, 2,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNMT1↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

TumCG↓, 2,  

Migration ⓘ

5LO↓, 1,   miR-29b↑, 1,   Rac1↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↝, 1,  
Total Targets: 17

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Sp1/3/4, Specificity Protein
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#:162  Target#:506  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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