Pachymic Acid

Pachymic acid exerts multi-pathway anti-cancer activity: in lung cancer cells, it activates reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent JNK and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathways; in pancreatic cancer, it induces ER stress through XBP-1s, ATF4, and CHOP upregulation; in gastric cancer, it inhibits PI3K/AKT signaling and inactivates JAK2/STAT3 while increasing Bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-3; in breast cancer, it targets Topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) with affinity comparable to chemotherapeutic drugs. For sedative effects, pachymic acid activates GABA-A receptors in hypothalamic neurons, increasing intracellular chloride ion influx, upregulating GAD65/67 (GABA synthesis enzymes), and enhancing expression of α-, β-, and γ-subunits of GABA-A receptors while increasing serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels.