Database Query Results : Ashwagandha(Withaferin A), , Glycolysis

Ash, Ashwagandha(Withaferin A): Click to Expand ⟱
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Ashwagandha (Withaferin A) — Withaferin A (WA; WFA) is a bioactive steroidal lactone (a “withanolide”) found in Withania somnifera (ashwagandha/Indian ginseng), with most translational oncology discussion centered on WA as a small-molecule electrophile rather than the whole-herb supplement. It is best classified as a natural-product small molecule (steroidal lactone/withanolide) with pleiotropic proteostasis, cytoskeletal, redox-stress, and inflammatory signaling effects; in supplements, WA exposure depends strongly on extract standardization (root vs leaf, % withanolides) and formulation.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

  1. Hsp90-axis disruption (incl. client protein destabilization) leading to proteostasis stress and multi-client oncoprotein depletion
  2. Covalent targeting of intermediate filaments (notably vimentin) with downstream effects on adhesion/migration, EMT programs, and angiogenic endothelium
  3. Pro-oxidative stress signaling in cancer cells with mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress/UPR engagement, and apoptosis execution
  4. Inflammation and survival signaling suppression (notably NF-κB-centric programs; context-dependent immune modulation)
  5. Contextual transcriptional/epigenetic modulation (e.g., HDAC/DNMT-related signals) contributing to anti-proliferative phenotypes
  6. Metabolic stress signaling (glycolysis/HIF-1α/ATP depletion) as a secondary vulnerability in susceptible models

Bioavailability / PK relevance: WA shows measurable systemic exposure in animals (reported oral bioavailability in rats), but PK is variable across species, doses, and extract matrices; human exposure data exist from a phase I osteosarcoma study and from healthy-volunteer PK work on standardized Withania extracts measuring circulating withanolides (including WA). WA is lipophilic and subject to first-pass metabolism; typical pharmacodynamic in-vitro micromolar concentrations may exceed achievable unbound plasma levels depending on formulation and dosing.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many mechanistic cancer studies use ~1–10 µM WA; translation requires caution because free (unbound) systemic concentrations and tumor penetration are not well-constrained in humans, and whole-extract products can have low/variable WA content (model- and formulation-dependent).

Clinical evidence status: Limited human oncology evidence: a phase I study in advanced high-grade osteosarcoma reported feasibility/safety and proposed a daily dose level; an active clinical trial evaluates an ashwagandha/withaferin-A strategy with liposomal doxorubicin in recurrent ovarian cancer. Most anticancer support remains preclinical, while non-oncology human data for ashwagandha primarily address stress/sleep and are not evidence of anticancer efficacy.

The main active constituents of Ashwagandha leaves are alkaloids and steroidal lactones (commonly known as Withanolides).
-The main constituents of ashwagandha are withanolides such as withaferin A, alkaloids, steroidal lactones, tropine, and cuscohygrine.
Ashwagandha is an herb that may reduce stress, anxiety, and insomnia.
*-Ashwagandha is often characterized as an antioxidant.
-Some studies suggest that while ashwagandha may protect normal cells from oxidative damage, it can simultaneously stress cancer cells by tipping their redox balance toward cytotoxicity.
Pathways:
-Induction of Apoptosis and ROS Generation
-Hsp90 Inhibition and Proteasomal Degradation

Cell culture studies vary widely, typically ranging from low micromolar (e.g., 1–10 µM).
In animal models (commonly mice), Withaferin A has been administered in doses ranging from approximately 2 to 10 mg/kg body weight.
- General wellness, Ashwagandha supplements are sometimes taken in doses ranging from 300 mg to 600 mg of an extract (often standardized to contain a certain percentage of withanolides) once or twice daily.
- 400mg of WS extract was given 3X/day to schizophrenia patients. report#2001.
- Ashwagandha Pure 400mg/capsule is available from mcsformulas.com.

-Note half-life 4-6 hrs?.
BioAv
Pathways:
- well-recognized for promoting ROS in cancer cells, while no effect(or reduction) on normal cells.
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓, Prx,
- Confusing results about Lowering AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓, TrxR↓**, SOD↓, GSH↓ Catalase↓ HO1↓ 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↓, TIMP2, uPA↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, SDF1↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓(combined with sulfor), DNMT1↓, DNMT3A↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓, TET↑
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, β-catenin↓, sox2↓,
- 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

Mechanistic pathway map for Ashwagandha (Withaferin A) in cancer biology

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells TSF Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Hsp90 proteostasis axis Hsp90 functional inhibition → client proteins ↓ (Akt/EGFR/HER2/Raf/Cdk etc.) → growth/survival signaling ↓ Stress-response engagement possible; tolerability is dose/formulation dependent R Multi-node oncogenic network destabilization Often presented as ATP-independent Hsp90 inhibition with downstream proteasomal degradation of clients; mechanistically central because it collapses multiple driver pathways at once.
2 Vimentin and intermediate filament remodeling Vimentin function/organization ↓ → migration/invasion ↓, EMT programs ↓ (context-dependent) Endothelial and stromal cytoskeleton can be affected; may underlie anti-angiogenic activity P Anti-motility / anti-metastatic leverage WA behaves as a reactive small molecule with reported covalent interaction with vimentin; cytoskeletal perturbation can be rapid and not strictly transcription-driven.
3 Mitochondrial ROS increase ROS ↑ → ΔΨm ↓, cyt-c ↑, caspase cascade ↑ → apoptosis ↑ Often ROS ↔ or ↓ with antioxidant response ↑ (model-dependent) P/R Selective redox toxicity in susceptible tumors Frequently paired with ER stress/UPR activation; selectivity is commonly framed as “push cancer over its redox limit,” but this is highly dose- and context-dependent.
4 ER stress and UPR axis ER stress ↑, UPR ↑ → proteotoxic stress → apoptosis/autophagy shifts (model-dependent) Adaptive UPR may occur; excessive dosing can stress normal tissues R Proteotoxic stress amplification Mechanistically synergistic with Hsp90 disruption and ROS signaling; can manifest as GRP78/BiP and related markers ↑ in some systems.
5 NF-κB inflammatory survival signaling NF-κB ↓ → cytokine/pro-survival programs ↓, invasion-associated signaling ↓ Anti-inflammatory signaling ↓ may be beneficial in some contexts; immune effects can be mixed G Survival/inflammation program suppression Often aligned with COX-2 and inflammasome-related readouts in inflammatory models; oncology relevance is strongest where NF-κB is a core survival node.
6 EMT and metastasis signaling EMT ↓, MMPs ↓, uPA ↓, CXCR4/SDF1 axis ↓ (model-dependent) Wound-healing programs can be affected (context-dependent) G Anti-invasive phenotype Partly downstream of cytoskeletal (vimentin) effects and NF-κB/TGF-β-linked programs; directionality can vary by tumor lineage and assay.
7 Glycolysis and HIF-1α HIF-1α ↓, glycolysis flux ↓, ATP ↓ (susceptible models) Usually ↔ at low exposure; metabolic stress possible at higher exposure G Metabolic vulnerability unmasking Often secondary to upstream stress (ROS/proteostasis) rather than a primary enzymatic inhibitor; interpret as (context-dependent).
8 Cell cycle checkpoint control Cell-cycle arrest ↑ (often G2/M reported), CDK/cyclin signaling ↓ Proliferating normal cells may also be sensitive at higher exposure G Anti-proliferative enforcement Common phenotype readout across WA studies; mechanistic “why” may differ by model (proteostasis vs ROS vs mitotic machinery/cytoskeleton).
9 NRF2 and antioxidant defense NRF2 ↓ and antioxidant enzymes ↓ reported in some cancer models; sometimes mixed ↔ NRF2 ↑ and antioxidant enzymes ↑ reported in some normal-tissue protection contexts G Redox buffering divergence Highly model-dependent; WA can behave as a stressor that either suppresses or activates NRF2-linked programs depending on timing, dose, and baseline redox state.
10 Clinical Translation Constraint Micromolar in-vitro dosing common; human oncology exposure/target engagement remains sparsely defined Supplement heterogeneity (WA content), drug-interaction risk, and organ-specific toxicity signals (notably liver; thyroid) constrain use — Formulation + PK + safety gating Human data exist (phase I osteosarcoma; ongoing ovarian combo), but WA is not an approved anticancer drug and standardized products/target engagement biomarkers are not yet mature.

TSF legend: P: 0–30 min    R: 30 min–3 hr    G: >3 hr
Glycolysis, Glycolysis: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP (energy) in the process. It is a fundamental process for cellular energy production and occurs in the cytoplasm of cells. In normal cells, glycolysis is tightly regulated and is followed by aerobic respiration in the presence of oxygen, which allows for the efficient production of ATP.
In cancer cells, however, glycolysis is often upregulated, even in the presence of oxygen. This phenomenon is known as the Warburg Mutations in oncogenes (like MYC) and tumor suppressor genes (like TP53) can alter metabolic pathways, promoting glycolysis and other anabolic processes that support cell growth.effect.
Acidosis: The increased production of lactate from glycolysis can lead to an acidic microenvironment, which may promote tumor invasion and suppress immune responses.

Glycolysis is a hallmark of malignancy transformation in solid tumor, and LDH is the key enzyme involved in glycolysis.

Pathways:
-GLUTs, HK2, PFK, PK, PKM2, LDH, LDHA, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, AMPK, HIF-1a, c-MYC, p53, SIRT6, HSP90α, GAPDH, HBT, PPP, Lactate Metabolism, ALDO

Natural products targeting glycolytic signaling pathways https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9631946/
Alkaloids:
-Berberine, Worenine, Sinomenine, NK007, Tetrandrine, N-methylhermeanthidine chloride, Dauricine, Oxymatrine, Matrine, Cryptolepine

Flavonoids: -Oroxyline A, Apigenin, Kaempferol, Quercetin, Wogonin, Baicalein, Chrysin, Genistein, Cardamonin, Phloretin, Morusin, Bavachinin, 4-O-methylalpinumisofavone, Glabridin, Icaritin, LicA, Naringin, IVT, Proanthocyanidin B2, Scutellarin, Hesperidin, Silibinin, Catechin, EGCG, EGC, Xanthohumol.

Non-flavonoid phenolic compounds:
Curcumin, Resveratrol, Gossypol, Tannic acid.

Terpenoids:
-Cantharidin, Dihydroartemisinin, Oleanolic acid, Jolkinolide B, Cynaropicrin, Ursolic Acid, Triptolie, Oridonin, Micheliolide, Betulinic Acid, Beta-escin, Limonin, Bruceine D, Prosapogenin A (PSA), Oleuropein, Dioscin.

Quinones:
-Thymoquinone, Lapachoi, Tan IIA, Emodine, Rhein, Shikonin, Hypericin

Others:
-Perillyl alcohol, HCA, Melatonin, Sulforaphane, Vitamin D3, Mycoepoxydiene, Methyl jasmonate, CK, Phsyciosporin, Gliotoxin, Graviola, Ginsenoside, Beta-Carotene.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
1180- Ash,    Withaferin A Inhibits Liver Cancer Tumorigenesis by Suppressing Aerobic Glycolysis through the p53/IDH1/HIF-1α Signaling Axis
- in-vitro, Liver, HepG2
IDH1↑, IDH1 expression was downregulated in human liver cancer cells compared to normal liver cells
Glycolysis↓, decreased levels of several glycolytic enzymes
P53↑,
Hif1a↓,

1176- Ash,    Metabolic Alterations in Mammary Cancer Prevention by Withaferin A in a Clinically Relevant Mouse Model
- in-vivo, NA, NA
TumVol↓, lower by 94%
Apoptosis↑,
Glycolysis↓, reduced levels of glycolysis intermediates.
PKM2↓,
PGK1↓,
ALDOAiso2↓,

3162- Ash,    Molecular insights into cancer therapeutic effects of the dietary medicinal phytochemical withaferin A
- Review, Var, NA
lipid-P↓, Oral cancer 20 mg/Kg ↓Lipid peroxidation : ↑SOD, glutathione peroxidase, p53, Bcl-2
SOD↑,
GPx↑,
P53↑,
Bcl-2↑,
E6↓, Cervival cancer 8mg/Kg ↓E6, E7: ↑p53, pRb, Cyclin B1, P34 Cdc2, p21, PCNA
E7↓,
pRB↑,
CycB/CCNB1↑,
CDC2↑,
P21↑,
PCNA↓,
ALDH1A1↓, Mammary cancer 0-1 mg/mouse (5-10) ↓Mammosphere number, ALDH1 activity. Vimentin, glycolysis
Vim↓,
Glycolysis↓,
cMyc↓, Mesotheliome cancer 5 mg/Kg ↓Proteasomal chymotrypsin, C-Myc : ↑ Bax, CARP-1
BAX↑,
NF-kB↓,
Casp3↑, caspase-3 activation
CHOP↑, WA is found to increase activation of Elk1 and CHOP (CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein) by RSK, as well as up-regulation of DR5 by selectively suppressing pathway ERK
DR5↑,
ERK↓,
Wnt↓, WA inhibits Wnt/β-catenin pathway via suppression of AKT signalling, which inhibits cancer cell motility and sensitises for cell death
β-catenin/ZEB1↓,
Akt↓,
HSP90↓, WA-dependent inhibition of heat shock protein (HSP) chaperone functions. WA inhibits the activity of HSP90-mediated function

3156- Ash,    Withaferin A: From ayurvedic folk medicine to preclinical anti-cancer drug
- Review, Var, NA
MAPK↑, Figure 3
p38↑,
BAX↑,
BIM↑,
CHOP↑,
ROS↑,
DR5↑,
Apoptosis↑,
Ferroptosis↑,
GPx4↓,
BioAv↝, WA has a rapid oral absorption and reaches to peak plasma concentration of around 16.69 ± 4.02 ng/ml within 10 min after oral administration of Withania somnifera aqueous extract at dose of 1000 mg/kg, which is equivalent to 0.458 mg/kg of WA
HSP90↓, table 1 10uM) were found to inhibit the chaperone activity of HSP90
RET↓,
E6↓,
E7↓,
Akt↓,
cMET↓,
Glycolysis↓, by suppressing the glycolysis and tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle
TCA↓,
NOTCH1↓,
STAT3↓,
AP-1↓,
PI3K↓,
eIF2α↓,
HO-1↑,
TumCCA↑, WA (1--3 uM) have been reported to inhibit cell proliferation by inducing G2 and M phase cycle arrest inovarian, breast, prostate, gastric and myelodysplastic/leukemic cancer cells and osteosarcoma
CDK1↓, WA is able to decrease the cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) activity and prevent Cdk1/cyclin B1 complex formation, which are key steps in cell cycle progression
*hepatoP↑, A treatment (40 mg/kg) reduces acetaminophen-induced liver injury (AILI) in mouse models and decreases H 2O 2-induced glutathione (GSH) depletion and necrosis in hepatocyte
*GSH↑,
*NRF2↑, WA triggers an anti-oxidant response after acetaminophen overdose by enhancing hepatic transcription of the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (NRF2)-responsive gene
Wnt↓, indirectly inhibit Wnt
EMT↓, WA can also block tumor metastasis through reduced expression of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers.
uPA↓, WA (700 nM) exert anti-meta-static activities in breast cancer cells through inhibition of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) protease
CSCs↓, s WA (125-500 nM) suppress tumor sphere formation indicating that the self-renewal of CSC is abolished
Nanog↓, loss of these CSC-specific characteristics is reflected in the loss of typical stem cell markers such as ALDH1A, Nanog, Sox2, CD44 and CD24
SOX2↓,
CD44↓,
lactateProd↓, drop in lactate levels compared to control mice.
Iron↑, Furthermore, we found that WA elevates the levels of intracellular labile ferrous iron (Fe +2 ) through excessive activation of heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1), which independently causes accumulation of toxic lipid radicals and ensuing ferroptosis
NF-kB↓, nhibition of NF-kB kinase signaling pathway

2388- Ash,    Withaferin A decreases glycolytic reprogramming in breast cancer
- in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-468 - in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-453
GlucoseCon↓, WA decreases the glucose uptake, lactate production and ATP generation by inhibiting the expression of key glycolytic enzymes i.e., GLUT1, HK2 and PKM2.
lactateProd↓,
ATP↓,
Glycolysis↓,
GLUT1↓,
HK2↓,
PKM2↓,
cMyc↓, WA decreases the protein expression of key glycolytic enzymes via downregulation of c-myc expression
Warburg↓, WA decreases protein expression of key glycolytic enzymes and Warburg effect via c-myc inhibition
cMyc↓,


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 5

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Ferroptosis↑, 1,   GPx↑, 1,   GPx4↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 1,   Iron↑, 1,   lipid-P↓, 1,   ROS↑, 1,   SOD↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

ATP↓, 1,   CDC2↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALDOAiso2↓, 1,   cMyc↓, 3,   GlucoseCon↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 5,   HK2↓, 1,   IDH1↑, 1,   lactateProd↓, 2,   PGK1↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 2,   TCA↓, 1,   Warburg↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 2,   Apoptosis↑, 2,   BAX↑, 2,   Bcl-2↑, 1,   BIM↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 1,   DR5↑, 2,   Ferroptosis↑, 1,   MAPK↑, 1,   p38↑, 1,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction ⓘ

RET↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

pRB↑, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

CHOP↑, 2,   eIF2α↓, 1,   HSP90↓, 2,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

P53↑, 2,   PCNA↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK1↓, 1,   CycB/CCNB1↑, 1,   P21↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ALDH1A1↓, 1,   CD44↓, 1,   cMET↓, 1,   CSCs↓, 1,   EMT↓, 1,   ERK↓, 1,   Nanog↓, 1,   NOTCH1↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   SOX2↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,   Wnt↓, 2,  

Migration ⓘ

AP-1↓, 1,   uPA↓, 1,   Vim↓, 1,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

Hif1a↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT1↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

NF-kB↓, 2,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↝, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

E6↓, 2,   E7↓, 2,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

TumVol↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 65

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSH↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

hepatoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 3

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: Glycolysis, Glycolysis
5 Ashwagandha(Withaferin A)
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

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