• Withaferin A an anti-breast cancer activities and pathways
  • Mehrana Jafari,1,* Azam Ahmadi,2
    1. Infectious Diseases Research Center (IDRC), Arak University of medical science.
    2. Infectious Diseases Research Center (IDRC), Arak University of medical science.


  • Introduction: Natural products have wide range of anticancer activities, plant compounds and their secondary metabolites would be less cytotoxic to patient health. Withaferin A (WA), a steroidal lactones of withanolide series isolated from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha). WA has recently become a phytochemical in various studies for treatment of different cancer types. WA had been isolated from solanaceae, Taccaceae, Lamiaceae plant family and some marine organism.
  • Methods: This research was done based on the searching the keywords including herbal medicine, Withaferin A, cancer, anticancer, mechanism through the well-known databases from beginning to 2019.
  • Results: Withaferin A controlled breast cancer with different ways. WA decreases cell viability of breast cancer (BCC) cells, also suppressed cell proliferation. Studied shows WA regulate BCC cycle progression through epigenetic mechanisms. It inhibited cancer cell migration by activating Notch2 and Notch4 and other pathways. WA arrested Growth BCC by down-regulation and covalent binding to cysteine 303 of β-tubulin. Moreover inhibited breast cancer invasion and metastasis by inducing vimentin disassembly and serine 56 phosphorylation. WA decreased invasiveness of BCC by targeting cell motility and pro-inflammatory genes. It reprograms expression of chromatin writer-reader-eraser enzymes. WA induces proteasome-dependent degradation of breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 and heat shock factor 1 proteins in BCC. WA induced apoptosis with suppressed of inhibitors of apoptosis family protein expression. It is a pro-apoptotic receptor agonist, WA induced apoptosis in human BCC is mediated by reactive oxygen species.
  • Conclusion: WA have anticancer activities such as induction of apoptosis, inhibition growth, and cytotoxic effect on BCC and other anticancer effects.
  • Keywords: Breast Cancer, Anticancer, Withaferin A, Withania somnifera.