Acetylshikonin exhibits weak cytotoxicity against human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with IC5 of over 2 microM, exhibits the antiangiogenic and antitumorigenic effects by suppressing proliferation and angiogenic factors.

alpha-Ketoglutarate is a key molecule in the TCA cycle. It can be produced from glutamate by oxidative deamination via glutamate dehydrogenase and as a product of pyridoxal phosphate-dependent transamination reactions (mediated by branched-chain amino acid transaminases) in which glutamate is a common amino donor.

QS-21, an immunostimulatory saponin, is a powerful vaccine adjuvant that stimulates both Th2 humoral and Th1 cell-mediated immune responses by interacting with antigen presenting cells (APCs) and T cells.