Database Query Results : Betulinic acid, , ER Stress

BetA, Betulinic acid: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Betulinic acid "buh-TOO-li-nik acid" is a natural compound with antiretroviral, anti malarial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. It is found in the bark of several plants, such as white birch, ber tree and rosemary, and has a complex mode of action against tumor cells.
-Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid
-vitro concentrations range from 1–100 µM, in vivo studies in rodents have generally used doses from 10–100 mg/kg
Precursor: Betulin, via oxidation at C-28
Lipophilicity: High (poor aqueous solubility)
-half-life reports vary 3-5 hrs?. Reported half-life varies by formulation and species; several studies report multi-hour systemic persistence.
BioAv -hydrophobic molecule with relatively poor water solubility. 
Main Cancer action
-Direct mitochondrial targeting in cancer cells
-Minimal effect on normal cells

Key pathways
-Mitochondrial membrane permeabilization
-ROS-mediated apoptosis
-Caspase-independent death

Chemo relevance: Generally compatible, Not a redox buffer

Pathways:
- often induce ROS production
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells(Often associated with reduced redox buffering capacity in tumor cells (e.g., GSH depletion); NRF2 direction model-dependent.): NRF2↓, SOD↓, GSH↓
- May Raise AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑ Reports suggest relative sparing of normal cells and preservation of antioxidant capacity in some models
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓(typ), COX2↓, p38↓ (context-dependent; often stress-activated), Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : , MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, TIMP2, IGF-1↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : P53↑, HSP↓(model-dependent), Sp proteins↓,
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓,
- inhibits glycolysis (secondary to mitochondrial stress) ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, HK2↓, ECAR↓, GRP78↑(ER stress), GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells in some studies : CSC↓, GLi1↓, β-catenin↓, OCT4↓,
- Others: PI3K↓(typ), AKT↓(typ), JAK↓, STAT↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK↓(AMPK is often activated during metabolic stress), ERK↓, JNK,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,
- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells TSF Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Intrinsic apoptosis (mitochondrial-mediated) ↑ mitochondria depolarization; ↑ cytochrome-c; ↑ caspase-9/3 activation ↔ limited activation (higher exposure required) R, G Execution of apoptosis Betulinic acid (BA) is well known to engage the intrinsic apoptotic cascade, typically downstream of redox and signaling perturbations.
2 ROS / redox stress ↑ ROS (P→R) ↔ basal or antioxidant adaptation in some contexts P, R Stress induction Many studies report ROS elevation in tumor cells exposed to BA; the direction and magnitude vary by cell type and exposure.
3 Mitochondrial permeability transition / ΔΨm loss ΔΨm ↓ (R→G) ↔ maintained R, G Mitochondrial failure Often observed as an early event preceding caspase activation in apoptosis studies.
4 PI3K / AKT / mTOR survival axis ↓ PI3K/AKT signaling; ↓ phospho-mTOR ↔ R, G Survival/growth suppression Betulinic acid often downregulates pro-survival kinase signaling, sensitizing cells to apoptosis and cytostasis.
5 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activity ↔ R, G Pro-survival/inflammatory transcription suppression Reduction in NF-κB activity limits pro-survival gene expression; supports sensitization to stressors.
6 MAPK re-wiring (JNK / ERK / p38) Stress-MAPK shifts; JNK/p38 often ↑; ERK context-dependent ↔ P, R Early stress signaling MAPK responses vary by model, with stress-associated p38/JNK often activated and ERK modulation variable.
7 Cell-cycle checkpoints (p21, p27, cyclins) ↑ p21/p27; ↑ G1/S or G2/M arrest ↔ G Proliferation arrest BA often induces cell-cycle blockade, slowing proliferation before apoptosis commitment.
8 Angiogenic signaling (VEGF & related) ↓ VEGF; anti-angiogenic outputs ↔ G Anti-angiogenic support Typically seen at the level of reduced pro-angiogenic factor expression or secretion in longer-term assays.
9 EMT / invasion / migration programs (MMPs) ↓ MMP2/MMP9; ↓ migration/invasion ↔ G Anti-invasive phenotype Often measured as reduced invasive capacity and decreased expression of EMT markers in later time points.
10 Autophagy modulation ↑ LC3-II; ↑ autophagic flux (model dependent) ↔ G Adaptive clearance / cell fate shift BA can modulate autophagy, which may either sensitize cells to death pathways or reflect adaptive stress responses.

Time-Scale Flag (TSF): P / R / G

  • P: 0–30 min (primary/physical-chemical effects; rapid kinase/redox signaling)
  • R: 30 min–3 hr (acute redox and stress-response activation)
  • G: >3 hr (gene-regulatory adaptation and phenotypic outcomes)
ER Stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Protein expression of ATF, GRP78, and GADD153 which is a hall marker of ER stress.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and responding to various stressors, including those encountered in cancer. When cells experience stress, such as the accumulation of misfolded proteins, they activate a series of signaling pathways collectively known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR aims to restore normal function by enhancing the protein-folding capacity of the ER, degrading misfolded proteins, and, if the stress is unresolved, triggering apoptosis.
The activation of ER stress pathways can contribute to resistance against chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Cancer cells may utilize the UPR to survive treatment-induced stress, making it challenging to achieve effective therapeutic outcomes.

-ER stress-associated proteins include: phosphorylation of PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, CHOP and cleaved-caspase 12
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2721- BetA,    Proteomic Investigation into Betulinic Acid-Induced Apoptosis of Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells
- in-vitro, Cerv, HeLa
ROS↑, Consistent with our results at the protein level, an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species was observed in betulinic acid-treated cells
Dose↝, The level of ROS in BA-treated cells was 9.28-fold and 12.77-fold higher than the level of ROS in control cells for treatments of 15 µmol/L and 30 µmol/L, respectively,
Bcl-2↓, The expression level of Bcl-2 was observed to be significantly lower than the control level. In contrast, the expression of proapoptotic Bax was significantly increased compared to the controls by qRT-PCR
BAX↑,
ER Stress↑, In the present work, up-regulated protein expression was detected, which may mediate the ER process of BA in HeLa cells.

2732- BetA,  Chemo,    Betulinic acid chemosensitizes breast cancer by triggering ER stress-mediated apoptosis by directly targeting GRP78
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231 - in-vitro, Nor, MCF10
ChemoSen↑, Here in, we found that BA has synergistic effects with taxol to induce breast cancer cells G2/M checkpoint arrest and apoptosis induction,
selectivity↑, but had little cytotoxicity effects on normal mammary epithelial cells.
GRP78/BiP↑, identified glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) as the direct interacting target of BA.
ER Stress↑, BA administration significantly elevated GRP78-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and resulted in the activation of protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK)/eukaryotic initiation factor 2a/CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein apopt
PERK↑,
Ca+2↑, We found that BA significantly elevated intracellular free calcium concentration
Cyt‑c↑, increased Cytochrome c and Bax, and the downregulation of Bcl-2
BAX↑,
Bcl-2↓,

2738- BetA,    Betulinic Acid Suppresses Breast Cancer Metastasis by Targeting GRP78-Mediated Glycolysis and ER Stress Apoptotic Pathway
- in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231 - in-vitro, BC, BT549 - in-vivo, NA, NA
TumCI↓, BA inhibited invasion and migration of highly aggressive breast cancer cells.
TumCMig↓,
Glycolysis↓, Moreover, BA could suppress aerobic glycolysis of breast cancer cells presenting as a reduction of lactate production, quiescent energy phenotype transition, and downregulation of aerobic glycolysis-related proteins.
lactateProd↓, lactate production in both MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 cells was significantly reduced following BA administration
GRP78/BiP↑, (GRP78) was also identified as the molecular target of BA in inhibiting aerobic glycolysis. BA treatment led to GRP78 overexpression, and GRP78 knockdown abrogated the inhibitory effect of BA on glycolysis.
ER Stress↑, Further studies demonstrated that overexpressed GRP78 activated the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor PERK.
PERK↑,
p‑eIF2α↑, Subsequent phosphorylation of eIF2α led to the inhibition of β-catenin expression, which resulted in the inhibition of c-Myc-mediated glycolysis.
β-catenin/ZEB1↓,
cMyc↓, These findings suggested that BA inhibited the β-catenin/c-Myc pathway by interrupting the binding between GRP78 and PERK and ultimately suppressed the glycolysis of breast cancer cells.
ROS↑, (i) the induction of cancer cell apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway induced by the release of soluble factors or generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
angioG↓, (ii) the inhibition of angiogenesis [24];
Sp1/3/4↓, (iii) the degradation of transcription factor specificity protein 1 (Sp1)
DNAdam↑, (iv) the induction of DNA damage by suppressing topoisomerase I
TOP1↓,
TumMeta↓, BA Inhibits Metastasis of Highly Aggressive Breast Cancer Cells
MMP2↓, BA significantly decreased the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 secreted by breast cancer cells
MMP9↓,
N-cadherin↓, BA downregulated the levels of N-cadherin and vimentin as the mesenchymal markers, while increased E-cadherin which is an epithelial marker (Figure 2(c)), validating the EMT inhibition effects of BA in breast cancer cells.
Vim↓,
E-cadherin↑,
EMT↓,
LDHA↓, the levels of glycolytic enzymes, including LDHA and p-PDK1/PDK1, were all decreased in a dose-dependent manner by BA
p‑PDK1↓,
PDK1↓,
ECAR↓, extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), which reflects the glycolysis activity, was retarded following BA administration.
OCR↓, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), which is a marker of mitochondrial respiration, was also decreased simultaneously
Hif1a↓, BA could reduce prostate cancer angiogenesis via inhibiting the HIF-1α/stat3 pathway [39]
STAT3↓,


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 3

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

ROS↑, 2,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

OCR↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

cMyc↓, 1,   ECAR↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 1,   lactateProd↓, 1,   LDHA↓, 1,   PDK1↓, 1,   p‑PDK1↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

BAX↑, 2,   Bcl-2↓, 2,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction ⓘ

Sp1/3/4↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

p‑eIF2α↑, 1,   ER Stress↑, 3,   GRP78/BiP↑, 2,   PERK↑, 2,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

EMT↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,   TOP1↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

Ca+2↑, 1,   E-cadherin↑, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   N-cadherin↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 1,   Vim↓, 1,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

ChemoSen↑, 1,   Dose↝, 1,   selectivity↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 36

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: ER Stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway
3 Betulinic acid
1 Chemotherapy
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#:42  Target#:103  State#:%  Dir#:%
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