Berberine / cMyc Cancer Research Results

BBR, Berberine: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:

Berberine — Berberine is a protoberberine/isoquinoline alkaloid natural product found in plants such as Coptis, Berberis, and Phellodendron. It is a small-molecule phytochemical with pleiotropic metabolic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer signaling effects rather than a single highly selective target profile. Its standard abbreviation is BBR. In oncology it is best classified as a multitarget natural-product lead compound and adjunct-sensitizer candidate, with strong preclinical evidence but no established standard anticancer regulatory use. Its translational profile is shaped by very low conventional oral bioavailability, extensive first-pass metabolism, broad tissue distribution, and substantial context dependence between cancer-cell pro-death effects and normal-cell cytoprotective redox effects.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

  1. AMPK-centered metabolic stress with mitochondrial dysfunction, ATP depletion, and apoptosis/autophagy induction
  2. Suppression of aerobic glycolysis and hypoxia signaling, including HIF-1α, GLUT1, HK2, LDHA, and PKM2-linked tumor metabolism
  3. Anti-proliferative cell-cycle control with cyclin/CDK suppression and tumor suppressor reactivation
  4. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT, MAPK/ERK, JAK/STAT, and NF-κB inflammatory-survival signaling
  5. Anti-metastatic and anti-EMT activity via Wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β/Smad, FAK/RhoA/ROCK, MMPs, and CXCR4-related programs
  6. Pro-oxidant mitochondrial ROS elevation and ER-stress/caspase signaling in many cancer models, with opposite antioxidant/NRF2-supportive effects in some normal-cell and non-cancer settings
  7. Context-dependent chemosensitization and radiosensitization, including effects on hypoxia signaling and DNA-repair competence
  8. Emerging ferroptosis-related activity in some tumor models, but not a universal dominant mechanism across berberine biology

Bioavailability / PK relevance: Conventional oral berberine has poor systemic bioavailability, often cited as below 1% in animal studies, because of limited absorption, P-glycoprotein efflux, first-pass intestinal/hepatic metabolism, and self-aggregation. Human exposure is usually in the low ng/mL plasma range with conventional dosing, while multiple metabolites may contribute to activity. Tissue distribution can exceed plasma levels, but PK remains a major clinical translation constraint.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many anticancer in-vitro studies use roughly 10–100 µM, commonly around 20–50 µM, which usually exceeds readily achievable conventional plasma exposure after standard oral dosing. Therefore, direct translation of cell-culture potency to systemic monotherapy expectations is limited unless local gut exposure, tissue accumulation, metabolite contribution, formulation enhancement, or combination use is specifically relevant.

Clinical evidence status: Strong preclinical and mechanistic evidence; limited early human oncology/chemoprevention evidence; no established phase III anticancer efficacy standard and no mainstream regulatory approval as an anticancer drug. Current clinical relevance is best viewed as investigational and adjunct-oriented rather than proven standalone oncology therapy.

Berberine is a chemical found in some plants like European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric. Berberine is a bitter-tasting and yellow-colored chemical.
Coptis (commonly referring to Coptidis Rhizoma, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb) contains bioactive alkaloids (most notably berberine and coptisine) that have been studied for their pharmacological effects—including their influence on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and related pathways.

– Berberine is known for its relatively low oral bioavailability, often cited at less than 1%. This low bioavailability is mainly due to poor intestinal absorption and active efflux by transport proteins such as P-glycoprotein.
– Despite the low bioavailability, berberine is still pharmacologically active, and its metabolites may also contribute to its overall effects.

• Effective Dosage in Studies
– Many clinical trials or preclinical studies use dosages in the range of 500 to 1500 mg per day, typically administered in divided doses.
– Therefore, to obtain a bioactive dose of berberine, supplementation in a standardized extract form is necessary.

-IC50 in cancer cell lines: Approximately 10–100 µM (commonly around 20–50 µM in many models)
-IC50 in normal cell lines: Generally higher (often above 100 µM), although this can vary with cell type
- In vivo studies: Dosing regimens in animal models generally range from about 50 to 200 mg/kg
- very effective AChE inhibitor (Alzheimers)
- Berberine may enhance the effects of blood-thinning medications like warfarin and aspirin.


-Note half-life reports vary 2.5-90hrs?.
-low solubility of apigenin in water : BioAv
Pathways:
- induce ROS production
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, UPR↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: NRF2↓, GSH↓
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- PI3K/AKT(Inhibition), JAK/STATs, Wnt/β-catenin, AMPK, MAPK/ERK, and JNK.
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : , MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, IGF-1↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, FAK↓, RhoA↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMT1↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, FAK↓, ERK↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, Glucose↓, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, FGF↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, Hh↓, GLi1↓, CD133↓, β-catenin↓, n-myc↓, sox2↓, notch2↓, nestin↓, OCT4↓,
- 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 Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 AMPK → mTOR axis ↑ AMPK / ↓ mTOR signaling Metabolic stress + growth suppression In vivo/in vitro colon tumorigenesis model: berberine activates AMPK, inhibits mTOR signaling and reduces proliferation/tumorigenesis, growth suppression, autophagy, HIF-1α ↓, glycolysis ↓, berberine’s known mitochondrial/energetic effects (ref)
2 Mitochondrial dysfunction / ROS generation ↑ ROS / mitochondrial stress Upstream metabolic trigger Berberine inhibits mitochondrial function, increases ROS, and contributes to AMPK activation and downstream apoptosis (ref)
3 Mitochondrial apoptosis (cytochrome c release) ↑ cytochrome c release Intrinsic death signaling Oral cancer model: berberine reduces mitochondrial membrane potential, releases cytochrome c, activates caspase-3 (ref)
4 Intrinsic apoptosis (caspase-3 activation) ↑ caspase-3 activation Programmed cell death Same oral cancer study documents caspase-3 activation as a key execution marker (ref)
5 NF-κB signaling (p65 activation) ↓ NF-κB activation Reduced pro-survival transcription Colon cancer model reports inhibition of p65 phosphorylation; interpreted as secondary to metabolic/redox stress (ref)
6 Cell cycle control ↑ G1 arrest Proliferation blockade Prostate cancer model: berberine induces G1-phase cell cycle arrest and caspase-3–dependent apoptosis (ref)
7 Hypoxia / glycolysis signaling (HIF-1α) ↓ HIF-1α protein Warburg / glycolysis suppression Berberine suppresses mTOR and reduces HIF-1α protein expression downstream of AMPK activation (ref)
8 Angiogenesis signaling (HIF-1α → VEGF axis) ↓ VEGF signaling Reduced vascular support Lung cancer study: berberine suppresses VEGF signaling alongside HIF-1α inhibition (ref)
9 PI3K–AKT–mTOR signaling ↓ PI3K / AKT / mTOR Survival pathway suppression Gastric cancer paper: berberine represses PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and improves chemosensitivity (ref)
10 Migration / invasion programs ↓ migration & invasion Anti-metastatic phenotype Tongue SCC model: berberine suppresses migration and invasion with associated signaling changes (ref)
11 Telomerase (hTERT) / immortalization axis ↓ hTERT-related signaling Reduced proliferative capacity Lung cancer study includes AP-2/hTERT regulatory axis modulation by berberine (ref)
12 In vivo tumor suppression ↓ tumorigenesis Demonstrated anti-tumor effect Colon tumorigenesis model confirms reduced proliferation and tumor burden with berberine (ref)


cMyc, cellular-MYC oncogene: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type: oncogene
The MYC proto-oncogenes are among the most commonly activated proteins in human cancer. The oncogene c-myc, which is frequently over-expressed in cancer cells, is involved in the transactivation of most of the glycolytic enzymes including lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and the glucose transporter GLUT1 [51,52]. Thus, c-myc activation is a likely candidate to promote the enhanced glucose uptake and lactate release in the proliferating cancer cell. The c-Myc oncogene is a ‘master regulator’ of both cellular growth and metabolism in transformed cells.
-C-myc is a common oncogene that enhances aerobic glycolysis in the cancer cells by transcriptionally activating GLUT1, HK2, PKM2 and LDH-A

Inhibitors (downregulate):
Curcumin
Resveratrol: downregulate c-Myc expression.
Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
Quercetin
Berberine: decrease c-Myc expression and repress its transcriptional activity.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2712- BBR,    Suppression of colon cancer growth by berberine mediated by the intestinal microbiota and the suppression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs)
- in-vitro, Colon, HT29 - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCG↓, GutMicro↑, other↝, IL10↓, cMyc↓, DNMT1↓, DNMTs↓,
2706- BBR,    Berberine Inhibits Growth of Liver Cancer Cells by Suppressing Glutamine Uptake
- in-vitro, HCC, Hep3B - in-vitro, HCC, Bel-7402 - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCP↓, glut↓, SLC12A5↓, cMyc↓, GLS↓,
1299- BBR,    Effects of Berberine and Its Derivatives on Cancer: A Systems Pharmacology Review
- Review, NA, NA
TumCCA↑, TP53↑, COX2↓, Bax:Bcl2↑, ROS↑, VEGFR2↓, Akt↓, ERK↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, IL8↑, P21↑, p27↑, E-cadherin↓, Fibronectin↓, cMyc↓,
2021- BBR,    Berberine: An Important Emphasis on Its Anticancer Effects through Modulation of Various Cell Signaling Pathways
- Review, NA, NA
*antiOx?, *Inflam↓, Apoptosis↑, TumCCA↑, BAX↑, eff↑, VEGF↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, Telomerase↓, β-catenin/ZEB1↓, Wnt↓, EGFR↓, AP-1↓, NF-kB↓, COX2↑, NRF2↓, RadioS↑, STAT3↓, ERK↓, AR↓, ROS↑, eff↑, selectivity↑, selectivity↑, BioAv↓, DNMT1↓, cMyc↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 4 of 4

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 4

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

NRF2↓, 1,   ROS↑, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

cMyc↓, 4,   GLS↓, 1,   glut↓, 1,  

Cell Death

Akt↓, 2,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   BAX↑, 1,   Bax:Bcl2↑, 1,   p27↑, 1,   Telomerase↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics

other↝, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair

DNMT1↓, 2,   DNMTs↓, 1,   TP53↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

P21↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 2,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

ERK↓, 2,   mTOR↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 1,   Wnt↓, 1,  

Migration

AP-1↓, 1,   E-cadherin↓, 1,   Fibronectin↓, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 1,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

EGFR↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,   VEGFR2↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport

SLC12A5↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

COX2↓, 1,   COX2↑, 1,   IL10↓, 1,   IL8↑, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,  

Hormonal & Nuclear Receptors

AR↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

BioAv↓, 1,   eff↑, 2,   RadioS↑, 1,   selectivity↑, 2,  

Clinical Biomarkers

AR↓, 1,   EGFR↓, 1,   GutMicro↑, 1,   TP53↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 48

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

antiOx?, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

Inflam↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 2

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: cMyc, cellular-MYC oncogene
4 Berberine
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#:41  Target#:35  State#:%  Dir#:%
wNotes=0 sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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