Database Query Results : Betulinic acid, , ERK

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)
ERK, ERK signaling: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
MAPK3 (ERK1)
ERK proteins are kinases that activate other proteins by adding a phosphate group. An overactivation of these proteins causes the cell cycle to stop.
The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway is a crucial component of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade, which plays a significant role in regulating various cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, and survival. high levels of phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) in tumor samples may indicate active ERK signaling and could correlate with aggressive tumor behavior

EEk singaling is frequently activated and is often associated with aggressive tumor behavior, treatment resistance, and poor outcomes.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2758- BetA,    Betulinic Acid Attenuates Oxidative Stress in the Thymus Induced by Acute Exposure to T-2 Toxin via Regulation of the MAPK/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway
- in-vivo, Nor, NA
*ROS↓, protective effects and mechanisms of BA in blocking oxidative stress caused by acute exposure to T-2 toxin in the thymus of mice was studied.
*MDA↓, BA pretreatment reduced ROS production, decreased the MDA content, and increased the content of IgG in serum and the levels of SOD and GSH in the thymus.
*SOD↑,
*GSH↑,
*p‑p38↓, BA downregulated the phosphorylation of the p38, JNK, and ERK proteins, while it upregulated the expression of the Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in thymus tissues.
*p‑JNK↓,
*p‑ERK↓,
*NRF2↑,
*HO-1↑,
*MAPK↓, suppressing the MAPK signaling pathway.
*heparanase↑, BA also showed protective activities against alcohol-induced liver damage and dexamethasone-induced spleen and thymus oxidative damage, and these protective effects were related to the antioxidant capacity of BA
*antiOx↑, BA Increased T-2 Toxin-Induced Thymus Antioxidative Capacity

2760- BetA,    A Review on Preparation of Betulinic Acid and Its Biological Activities
- Review, Var, NA - Review, Stroke, NA
AntiTum↑, BA is considered a future promising antitumor compound
Cyt‑c↑, BA stimulated mitochondria to release cytochrome c and Smac and cause further apoptosis reactions
Smad1↑,
Sepsis↓, Administration of 10 and 30 mg/kg of BA significantly improved survival against sepsis and attenuated lung injury.
NF-kB↓, BA inhibited nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) expression in the lung and decreased levels of cytokine, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)
ICAM-1↓,
MCP1↓,
MMP9↓,
COX2↓, In hPBMCs, BA suppressed cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E2 (PEG2) production by inhibiting extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt phosphorylation and thereby modulated the NF-κB signaling pathway
PGE2↓,
ERK↓,
p‑Akt↓,
*ROS↓, BA significantly decreased the mortality of mice against endotoxin shock and inhibited the production of PEG2 in two of the most susceptible organs, lungs and livers [80]. Moreover, BA reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation
*LDH↓, and the release of lactate dehydrogenase
*hepatoP↑, hepatoprotective effect of BA from Tecomella undulata.
*SOD↑, Pretreatment of BA prevented the depletion of hepatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (AA) and decreased the CCl4-induced LPO level
*Catalase↑,
*GSH↑,
*AST↓, A also attenuated the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) plasma level,
*ALAT↓,
*RenoP↑, BA also exhibits renal-protective effects. Renal fibrosis is an end-stage renal disease symptom that develops from chronic kidney disease (CKD).
*ROS↓, BA protected against this ischemia-reperfusion injury in a mice model by enhancing blood flow and reducing oxidative stress and nitrosative stress
*α-SMA↓, Moreover, BA reduced the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen-I


* 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 ⓘ

p‑Akt↓, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ERK↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

MMP9↓, 1,   Smad1↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   ICAM-1↓, 1,   MCP1↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,   PGE2↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiTum↑, 1,  

Infection & Microbiome ⓘ

Sepsis↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 12

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 1,   Catalase↑, 1,   GSH↑, 2,   HO-1↑, 1,   MDA↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↓, 3,   SOD↑, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   LDH↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

p‑JNK↓, 1,   MAPK↓, 1,   p‑p38↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

p‑ERK↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

heparanase↑, 1,   α-SMA↓, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,   LDH↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

hepatoP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 21

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: ERK, ERK signaling
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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