Withaferin A (WA) is a bioactive compound derived from Withania somnifera. The antitumor activity of WA has been well studied in human cancer models; however, its chemopreventive potential is unclear. In the present study, we used the skin epidermal JB6 P+ cells, a well-established model for tumor promotion, and demonstrated that WA suppressed the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced cell transformation and cell proliferation. Interestingly, TPA inactivated isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), which was reversed by WA. Similar results were also observed in mouse skin tissue. Therefore, we focused on metabolism as the potential mechanism of action. We found that mitochondrial functions were downregulated by TPA treatment, as indicated by reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, complex I activity and mitochondrial respiration. However, all of these downregulations were inhibited by WA. In addition, we examined the levels of a-ketoglutarate, a product of IDH1, and WA blocked its reduction upon TPA treatment. Finally, we detected the lactate level as a glycolysis marker, and WA suppressed its elevation caused by tumor promoter treatment. Altogether, these results suggest that WA might exert its chemopreventive activity via inhibiting not only oncogenic activation, but also IDH1 inactivation and mitochondrial dysfunction in early tumorigenesis. (Cancer Sci 2013; 104: 143-148) W ithaferin A (WA; Supporting Information Fig. S1) belongs to a group of biologically active constituents known as withanolides. The antitumor activity of WA has been reported, which shows that WA suppresses human breast cancer, (1,2) prostate cancer, (3) colon cancer, (4) pancreatic cancer,glioma, (6) renal cancer (7) and leukemia. (8) Moreover, a clinical trial of WA has been launched for treatment of metastatic melanoma.(9) Not surprising, Withania somnifera is within the high-priority topics from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. However, the chemopreventive potential of WA has not been well studied. Therefore, testing the mechanism of action of WA in chemoprevention using well-established skin cell transformation and skin carcinogenesis models is important.Carcinogenesis is often associated with a metabolic shift. Cancer cells predominantly produce energy by a high rate of glycolysis followed by lactic acid fermentation even in the presence of oxygen, known as the "Warburg effect".(10) Although glycolysis is inefficient at producing ATP compared with oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), the metabolic intermediates produced during glycolysis might provide a growth advantage for cancer cells. Associated with this metabolic switch is dysregulation of important metabolic enzymes. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), as a metabolic enzyme converting isocitrate to a-ketoglutarate, consists of three isoforms. Mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 have been found in glioma (11) and leukemia, (12) and IDH2 mutation is much less common than IDH1 mutation. Mutations in IDH1 impair its enzymatic activity, l...