Kirenol is a diterpenoid compound, an orally active apoptosis inducer and signaling pathway regulator, with a Kd value of 5.47 µM against the target CK2. Kirenol promotes the cleavage of Bid into tBid, regulates the protein levels/phosphorylation of Bax, Bcl-2, p53 and p21, and induces caspase-independent apoptosis, S-phase cell cycle arrest, ROS accumulation and cytotoxicity in cancer cells. Kirenol activates the CK2/AKT and AMPK-mTOR-ULK1 pathways, inhibits the signaling of NF-kappaB, TGF-beta/Smads and NLRP3 inflammasome, and regulates the GSK3beta, BMP and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways. Kirenol induces autophagy, mitophagy and osteoblast differentiation, promotes mitochondrial fusion, and exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, renoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective and analgesic effects. Kirenol is applicable to research related to chronic myeloid leukemia, ischemic stroke, diabetic nephropathy, heart failure, acute lung injury and osteoporosis[1][2][3][4][5][6][7].
