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

Ash, Ashwagandha(Withaferin A): Click to Expand ⟱
Features:

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
TumCCA, Tumor cell cycle arrest: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Tumor cell cycle arrest refers to the process by which cancer cells stop progressing through the cell cycle, which is the series of phases that a cell goes through to divide and replicate. This arrest can occur at various checkpoints in the cell cycle, including the G1, S, G2, and M phases. S, G1, G2, and M are the four phases of mitosis.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
5394- Ash,    Safety and pharmacokinetics of Withaferin-A in advanced stage high grade osteosarcoma: A phase I trial
- Trial, OS, NA
toxicity↝, generally well tolerated. Eleven adverse events of grade 1 or grade 2 severity were observed. No grade 3 or grade 4 adverse events were observed.
hepatoP↓, Elevation of liver enzymes (5/11) and skin rash (2/11) was the most common adverse events.
BioAv↓, However, WA appears to have low oral bioavailability.
Apoptosis↑, WA has been reported to induce apoptosis via intrinsic and extrinsic pathways in human prostate, breast and leukemic cancer cells among others
ROS↑, It has also shown the ability to induce apoptosis in osteosarcoma U2OS cell lines by generating ROS, also causing cell cycle arrest in osteosarcoma cell lines by inhibition of G2/M checkpoint proteins
TumCCA↑,

3166- Ash,    Exploring the Multifaceted Therapeutic Potential of Withaferin A and Its Derivatives
- Review, Var, NA
*p‑PPARγ↓, preventing the phosphorylation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARγ)
*cardioP↑, cardioprotective activity by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and suppressing mitochondrial apoptosis.
*AMPK↑,
*BioAv↝, The oral bioavailability was found to be 32.4 ± 4.8% after 5 mg/kg intravenous and 10 mg/kg oral WA administration.
*Half-Life↝, The stability studies of WA in gastric fluid, liver microsomes, and intestinal microflora solution showed similar results in male rats and humans with a half-life of 5.6 min.
*Half-Life↝, WA reduced quickly, and 27.1% left within 1 h
*Dose↑, WA showed that formulation at dose 4800 mg having equivalent to 216 mg of WA, was tolerated well without showing any dose-limiting toxicity.
*chemoPv↑, Here, we discuss the chemo-preventive effects of WA on multiple organs.
IL6↓, attenuates IL-6 in inducible (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231)
STAT3↓, WA displayed downregulation of STAT3 transcriptional activity
ROS↓, associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, resulted in apoptosis of cells. The WA treatment decreases the oxidative phosphorylation
OXPHOS↓,
PCNA↓, uppresses human breast cells’ proliferation by decreasing the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression
LDH↓, WA treatment decreases the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) expression, increases AMP protein kinase activation, and reduces adenosine triphosphate
AMPK↑,
TumCCA↑, (SKOV3 andCaOV3), WA arrest the G2/M phase cell cycle
NOTCH3↓, It downregulated the Notch-3/Akt/Bcl-2 signaling mediated cell survival, thereby causing caspase-3 stimulation, which induces apoptosis.
Akt↓,
Bcl-2↓,
Casp3↑,
Apoptosis↑,
eff↑, Withaferin-A, combined with doxorubicin, and cisplatin at suboptimal dose generates ROS and causes cell death
NF-kB↓, reduces the cytosolic and nuclear levels of NF-κB-related phospho-p65 cytokines in xenografted tumors
CSCs↓, WA can be used as a pharmaceutical agent that effectively kills cancer stem cells (CSCs).
HSP90↓, WA inhibit Hsp90 chaperone activity, disrupting Hsp90 client proteins, thus showing antiproliferative effects
PI3K↓, WA inhibited PI3K/AKT pathway.
FOXO3↑, Par-4 and FOXO3A proapoptotic proteins were increased in Pten-KO mice supplemented with WA.
β-catenin/ZEB1↓, decreased pAKT expression and the β-catenin and N-cadherin epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers in WA-treated tumors control
N-cadherin↓,
EMT↓,
FASN↓, WA intraperitoneal administration (0.1 mg) resulted in significant suppression of circulatory free fatty acid and fatty acid synthase expression, ATP citrate lyase,
ACLY↓,
ROS↑, WA generates ROS followed by the activation of Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1 pathways, and upregulating the expression of the c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK)
NRF2↑,
HO-1↑,
NQO1↑,
JNK↑,
mTOR↓, suppressing the mTOR/STAT3 pathway
neuroP↑, neuroprotective ability of WA (50 mg/kg b.w)
*TNF-α↓, WA attenuate the levels of neuroinflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6)
*IL1β↓,
*IL6↓,
*IL8↓, WA decreases the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNFα, IL-8, IL-18)
*IL18↓,
RadioS↑, radiosensitizing combination effect of WA and hyperthermia (HT) or radiotherapy (RT)
eff↑, WA and cisplatin at suboptimal dose generates ROS and causes cell death [41]. The actions of this combination is attributed by eradicating cells, revealing markers of cancer stem cells like CD34, CD44, Oct4, CD24, and CD117

1356- Ash,    Withaferin A induces apoptosis by ROS-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in human colorectal cancer cells
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116
ROS↑,
TumCCA↑,
MMP↓,
TumCG↓,
Apoptosis↑,
JNK↝,

1365- Ash,    Withaferin A Induces Oxidative Stress-Mediated Apoptosis and DNA Damage in Oral Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, Oral, Ca9-22 - in-vitro, Oral, CAL27
ROS↑, Withaferin A (WFA) is one of the most active steroidal lactones with reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulating effects against several types of cancer.
*toxicity↓, killed two oral cancer cells (Ca9-22 and CAL 27) rather than normal oral cells (HGF-1) HGF-1 normal oral cells treated with WFA showed no reduction in viability
Apoptosis↑,
TumCCA↑, G2/M cell cycle arrest
MMP↓,
p‑γH2AX↑,
DNAdam↑,
eff↓, Moreover, pretreating Ca9-22 cells with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) rescued WFA-induced selective killing

1363- Ash,  doxoR,    Withaferin A Synergizes the Therapeutic Effect of Doxorubicin through ROS-Mediated Autophagy in Ovarian Cancer
- in-vitro, Ovarian, A2780S - in-vitro, Ovarian, CaOV3 - in-vivo, NA, NA
ChemoSen↑, thus reducing the dosage requirement of Dox
ROS↑,
DNAdam↑, immense DNA damage
TumCCA↑,
LC3B↑,
TumCG↓, 70 to 80% reduction in tumor growth
cl‑Casp3↑,

1358- Ash,    Withaferin A: A Dietary Supplement with Promising Potential as an Anti-Tumor Therapeutic for Cancer Treatment - Pharmacology and Mechanisms
- Review, Var, NA
TumCCA↑,
Apoptosis↑,
TumAuto↑,
Ferroptosis↑,
TumCP↓,
CSCs↓,
TumMeta↓,
EMT↓,
angioG↓,
Vim↓,
HSP90↓,
annexin II↓, annexin II proteins directly bind to WA
m-FAM72A↓,
BCR-ABL↓,
Mortalin↓,
NRF2↓,
cMYB↓,
ROS↑, WA inhibits proliferation through ROS-mediated intrinsic apoptosis
ChemoSen↑, WA and cisplatin, WA produced ROS, while cisplatin caused DNA damage, suggesting that lower doses of cisplatin combined with suboptimal doses of WA could achieve the same effect
eff↑, sulforaphane and WA showed synergistic effects on epigenetic modifiers and cell proliferation in breast cancer cells
ChemoSen↑, WA and sorafenib caused G2/M arrest in anaplastic and papillary thyroid cancer cells
ChemoSen↑, combination of WA and 5-FU executed PERK axis-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced autophagy and apoptosis
eff↑, WA and carnosol also exhibit a synergistic effect on pancreatic cancer
*BioAv↓, Saurabh by Saurabh et al and Tianming et al reported oral bioavailability values 1.8% and 32.4 ± 4.8%, respectively, in male rats.
ROCK1↓, In another study, WA reduces macrophage infiltration and inhibits the expression of protein tyrosine kinase-2 (Pyk2), rho-associated kinase 1 (ROCK1), and VEGF in a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft model, thereby suppressing tumor invasion and angi
TumCI↓,
Sp1/3/4↓, Furthermore, WA exerts potent anti-angiogenic activity in vivo.174 In the Ehrlich ascites tumor model, WA exerts its anti-angiogenic activity by reducing the binding of the transcription factor specificity protein 1 (Sp1) to VEGF
VEGF↓, n another study, WA reduces macrophage infiltration and inhibits the expression of protein tyrosine kinase-2 (Pyk2), rho-associated kinase 1 (ROCK1), and VEGF in a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft model, thereby suppressing tumor invasion and angio
Hif1a↓, Furthermore, WA suppresses the AK4-HIF-1α signaling axis and acts as a potent antimetastatic agent in lung cancer.Citation79
EGFR↓, WA synergistically inhibited wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) lung cancer cell viability

1357- Ash,    Cytotoxicity of withaferin A in glioblastomas involves induction of an oxidative stress-mediated heat shock response while altering Akt/mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways
- in-vitro, GBM, U87MG - in-vitro, GBM, U251 - in-vitro, GBM, GL26
TumCP↓,
TumCCA↑, G2/M cell cycle
Akt↓,
mTOR↓,
p70S6↓,
p85S6K↓,
AMPKα↑,
TSC2↑,
HSP70/HSPA5↑,
HO-1↑,
HSF1↓,
Apoptosis↑,
ROS↑, Withaferin A elevates pro-oxidant potential in GBM cells and induces a cellular oxidative stress response
eff↓, Pre-treatment with a thiol-antioxidant protects GBM cells from the anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects of withaferin A NAC pretreatment was able to completely prevent cell cycle shift to G2/M arrest following 1µM WA treatment at 24h

1367- Ash,    An anti-cancerous protein fraction from Withania somnifera induces ROS-dependent mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells
- in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231
Apoptosis↑,
ROS↑, extensive reactive oxygen species generation
Bax:Bcl2↑,
MMP↓,
Casp3↑,
TumCCA↑, G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest

1173- Ash,    Withaferin A inhibits proliferation of human endometrial cancer cells via transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signalling
- in-vitro, EC, K1 - in-vitro, Nor, THESCs
TumCP↓,
*toxicity↓, comparatively lower toxicity against the THESCs normal cells
Apoptosis↑,
TumCCA↑, G2/M cell cycle arrest
TumCMig↓, 53%
TumCI↓, 40%
p‑SMAD2↓,
TGF-β↓,
*toxicity↓, Cytotoxicity of withaferin A was comparatively lower against normal THESCs endometrial cells (IC50 value of 76 µM) when compared to cancerous KLE cells.

3160- Ash,    Withaferin A: A Pleiotropic Anticancer Agent from the Indian Medicinal Plant Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal
- Review, Var, NA
TumCCA↑, withaferin A suppressed cell proliferation in prostate, ovarian, breast, gastric, leukemic, and melanoma cancer cells and osteosarcomas by stimulating the inhibition of the cell cycle at several stages, including G0/G1 [86], G2, and M phase
H3↑, via the upregulation of phosphorylated Aurora B, H3, p21, and Wee-1, and the downregulation of A2, B1, and E2 cyclins, Cdc2 (Tyr15), phosphorylated Chk1, and Chk2 in DU-145 and PC-3 prostate cancer cells.
P21↑,
cycA1/CCNA1↓,
CycB/CCNB1↓,
cycE/CCNE↓,
CDC2↓,
CHK1↓,
Chk2↓,
p38↑, nitiated cell death in the leukemia cells by increasing the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)
MAPK↑,
E6↓, educed the expression of human papillomavirus E6/E7 oncogenes in cervical cancer cells
E7↓,
P53↑, restored the p53 pathway causing the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells.
Akt↓, oral dose of 3–5 mg/kg withaferin A attenuated the activation of Akt and stimulated Forkhead Box-O3a (FOXO3a)-mediated prostate apoptotic response-4 (Par-4) activation,
FOXO3↑,
ROS↑, the generation of reactive oxygen species, histone H2AX phosphorylation, and mitochondrial membrane depolarization, indicating that withaferin A can cause the oxidative stress-mediated killing of oral cancer cells [
γH2AX↑,
MMP↓,
mitResp↓, withaferin A inhibited the expansion of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells by ROS production, owing to mitochondrial respiration inhibition
eff↑, combination treatment of withaferin A and hyperthermia induced the death of HeLa cells via a decrease in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and the downregulation of the antiapoptotic protein myeloid-cell leukemia 1 (MCL-1)
TumCD↑,
Mcl-1↓,
ER Stress↑, . Withaferin A also attenuated the development of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), both in vitro and in vivo, by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress via activating the transcription factor 4-ATF3-C/EBP homologous protein (ATF4-ATF3-CHOP)
ATF4↑,
ATF3↑,
CHOP↑,
NOTCH↓, modulating the Notch-1 signaling pathway and the downregulation of Akt/NF-κB/Bcl-2 . withaferin A inhibited the Notch signaling pathway
NF-kB↓,
Bcl-2↓,
STAT3↓, Withaferin A also constitutively inhibited interleukin-6-induced phosphorylation of STAT3,
CDK1↓, lowering the levels of cyclin-dependent Cdk1, Cdc25C, and Cdc25B proteins,
β-catenin/ZEB1↓, downregulation of p-Akt expression, β-catenin, N-cadherin and epithelial to the mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers
N-cadherin↓,
EMT↓,
Cyt‑c↑, depolarization and production of ROS, which led to the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol,
eff↑, combinatorial effect of withaferin A and sulforaphane was also observed in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, with a dramatic reduction of the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and an increase in the pro-apoptotic Bax level, thus p
CDK4↓, downregulates the levels of cyclin D1, CDK4, and pRB, and upregulates the levels of E2F mRNA and tumor suppressor p21, independently of p53
p‑RB1↓,
PARP↑, upregulation of Bax and cytochrome c, downregulation of Bcl-2, and activation of PARP, caspase-3, and caspase-9 cleavage
cl‑Casp3↑,
cl‑Casp9↑,
NRF2↑, withaferin A binding with Keap1 causes an increase in the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein levels, which in turn, regulates the expression of antioxidant proteins that can protect the cells from oxidative stress.
ER-α36↓, Decreased ER-α
LDHA↓, inhibited growth, LDHA activity, and apoptotic induction
lipid-P↑, induction of oxidative stress, increased lipid peroxidation,
AP-1↓, anti-inflammatory qualities of withaferin A are specifically attributed to its inhibition of pro-inflammatory molecules, α-2 macroglobulin, NF-κB, activator protein 1 (AP-1), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition,
COX2↓,
RenoP↑, showing strong evidence of the renoprotective potential of withaferin A due to its anti-inflammatory activity
PDGFR-BB↓, attenuating the BB-(PDGF-BB) platelet growth factor
SIRT3↑, by increasing the sirtuin3 (SIRT3) expression
MMP2↓, withaferin A inhibits matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9,
MMP9↓,
NADPH↑, but also provokes mRNA stimulation for a set of antioxidant genes, such as NADPH quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1), glutathione-disulfide reductase (GSR), Nrf2, heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1),
NQO1↑,
GSR↑,
HO-1↑,
*SOD2↑, cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury model. Withaferin A triggered the upregulation of superoxide dismutase SOD2, SOD3, and peroxiredoxin 1(Prdx-1).
*Prx↑,
*Casp3?, and ameliorated cardiomyocyte caspase-3 activity
eff↑, combination with doxorubicin (DOX), is also responsible for the excessive generation of ROS
Snail↓, inhibition of EMT markers, such as Snail, Slug, β-catenin, and vimentin.
Slug↓,
Vim↓,
CSCs↓, highly effective in eliminating cancer stem cells (CSC) that expressed cell surface markers, such as CD24, CD34, CD44, CD117, and Oct4 while downregulating Notch1, Hes1, and Hey1 genes;
HEY1↓,
MMPs↓, downregulate the expression of MMPs and VEGF, as well as reduce vimentin, N-cadherin cytoskeleton proteins,
VEGF↓,
uPA↓, and protease u-PA involved in the cancer cell metastasis
*toxicity↓, A was orally administered to Wistar rats at a dose of 2000 mg/kg/day and had no adverse effects on the animals
CDK2↓, downregulated the activation of Bcl-2, CDK2, and cyclin D1
CDK4↓, Another study also demonstrated the inhibition of Hsp90 by withaferin A in a pancreatic cancer cell line through the degradation of Akt, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 Cdk4,
HSP90↓,

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

2003- Ash,    Withaferin A Induces Cell Death Selectively in Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer Cells but Not in Normal Fibroblast Cells
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, Pca, DU145 - in-vitro, Nor, TIG-1 - in-vitro, PC, LNCaP
TumCD↑, We report here that 2 μM WA induced cell death selectively in androgen-insensitive PC-3 and DU-145 prostate adenocarcinoma cells
selectivity↑, whereas its toxicity was less severe in androgen-sensitive LNCaP prostate adenocarcinoma cells and normal human fibroblasts (TIG-1 and KD)
cFos↑, WA significantly increased mRNA levels of c-Fos and 11 heat-shock proteins (HSPs) in PC-3 and DU-145, but not in LNCaP and TIG-1.
ROS↑, WA induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PC-3 and DU-145, but not in normal fibroblasts
*ROS∅, but not in normal fibroblasts
HSP70/HSPA5↑,
Apoptosis↑, WA induces apoptosis mediated by ER stress
ER Stress↑,
TumCCA↑, WA induces autophagy in breast cancer cells, but the detailed mechanism remains elusive


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 12

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

ATF3↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↑, 2,   GPx4↓, 1,   GSR↑, 1,   HO-1↑, 4,   Iron↑, 1,   lipid-P↑, 1,   NQO1↑, 2,   NRF2↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 2,   OXPHOS↓, 1,   ROS↓, 1,   ROS↑, 11,   SIRT3↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

BCR-ABL↓, 1,   CDC2↓, 1,   mitResp↓, 1,   MMP↓, 4,   Mortalin↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ACLY↓, 1,   AMPK↑, 1,   FASN↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 1,   lactateProd↓, 1,   LDH↓, 1,   LDHA↓, 1,   NADPH↑, 1,   TCA↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 4,   Apoptosis↑, 10,   BAX↑, 1,   Bax:Bcl2↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 2,   BIM↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 2,   cl‑Casp3↑, 2,   cl‑Casp9↑, 1,   Chk2↓, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   DR5↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↑, 2,   HEY1↓, 1,   JNK↑, 1,   JNK↝, 1,   MAPK↑, 2,   Mcl-1↓, 1,   p38↑, 2,   TumCD↑, 2,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction ⓘ

AMPKα↑, 1,   p70S6↓, 1,   RET↓, 1,   Sp1/3/4↓, 1,   TSC2↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

H3↑, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

CHOP↑, 2,   eIF2α↓, 1,   ER Stress↑, 2,   HSF1↓, 1,   HSP70/HSPA5↑, 2,   HSP90↓, 4,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

LC3B↑, 1,   TumAuto↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

CHK1↓, 1,   DNAdam↑, 2,   m-FAM72A↓, 1,   P53↑, 1,   PARP↑, 1,   PCNA↓, 1,   γH2AX↑, 1,   p‑γH2AX↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK1↓, 2,   CDK2↓, 1,   CDK4↓, 2,   cycA1/CCNA1↓, 1,   CycB/CCNB1↓, 1,   cycE/CCNE↓, 1,   P21↑, 1,   p‑RB1↓, 1,   TumCCA↑, 12,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

CD44↓, 1,   cFos↑, 1,   cMET↓, 1,   cMYB↓, 1,   CSCs↓, 4,   EMT↓, 4,   FOXO3↑, 2,   mTOR↓, 2,   Nanog↓, 1,   NOTCH↓, 1,   NOTCH1↓, 1,   NOTCH3↓, 1,   p85S6K↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 2,   SOX2↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 3,   TumCG↓, 2,   Wnt↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

annexin II↓, 1,   AP-1↓, 2,   ER-α36↓, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   MMPs↓, 1,   N-cadherin↓, 2,   ROCK1↓, 1,   Slug↓, 1,   p‑SMAD2↓, 1,   Snail↓, 1,   TGF-β↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 2,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 3,   TumMeta↓, 1,   uPA↓, 2,   Vim↓, 2,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 2,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,   ATF4↑, 1,   EGFR↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 1,   PDGFR-BB↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 2,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 3,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 1,   BioAv↝, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 4,   eff↓, 2,   eff↑, 7,   RadioS↑, 1,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

E6↓, 2,   E7↓, 2,   EGFR↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   LDH↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

hepatoP↓, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 1,   toxicity↝, 1,  
Total Targets: 141

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

GSH↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   Prx↑, 1,   ROS∅, 1,   SOD2↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

AMPK↑, 1,   p‑PPARγ↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Casp3?, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

IL18↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   IL8↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 1,   BioAv↝, 1,   Dose↑, 1,   Half-Life↝, 2,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cardioP↑, 1,   chemoPv↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,   toxicity↓, 4,  
Total Targets: 22

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: TumCCA, Tumor cell cycle arrest
12 Ashwagandha(Withaferin A)
1 doxorubicin
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#:36  Target#:322  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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