The phrase "are demonstrated to activate" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where you want to indicate that something has been shown or proven to cause activation of a particular process or response.
Example: "The results of the study indicate that certain compounds are demonstrated to activate the immune response in the body."
Alternatives: "are shown to trigger" or "are proven to initiate".
CD40 ligation has been demonstrated to activate ERK, and activation of ERK promotes cell survival.
Of interest, halothane has been demonstrated to activate VICC channel activity, while sevoflurane did not have any effect on these channels, in the rat aorta [ 9].
Interestingly, while etoposide has been demonstrated to activate ATM and ATR doxorubicin showed dose dependent activation of ATM and no ATR activation as determined by Ser428 phosphorylation.
In addition, immunoglobulin A in human milk with protease activity has been demonstrated to activate PAR-2 on intestinal epithelium, inducing hBD-2 expression via PAR-2 signaling [ 2].
In one study, metformin was demonstrated to activate AMPK and consequently decrease cellular proliferative activity, to produce a general decrease in protein synthesis in vitro in human breast carcinoma cells [ 30].
This exposure to UVB has previously been demonstrated to activate JNK and subsequently increase phosphorylation of its substrate c-Jun [31].
High temperature and capsaicin have been demonstrated to activate sensory nerves and induce neurogenic inflammation (Jancsó et al., 1967; Caterina et al., 1997).
Low temperature has been demonstrated to activate sensory nerves and induce neurogenic inflammation (Story et al., 2003; Obata et al., 2005).
Mutations in the gene patched, the transmembrane receptor for the Hedgehog signaling pathway, have been demonstrated to activate Hippo signaling in both Drosophila melanogaster models and human tumors [38, 39].
Cytosolic double-stranded DNA from pathogens such as Franscisella tularensis and Listeria monocytogenes has been demonstrated to activate the AIM2 inflammasome (Fernandes-Alnemri et al., 2009; Hornung et al., 2009; Fernandes-Alnemri et al., 2010; Kim et al., 2010; Rathinam et al., 2010).
