Quinone anticancer antibiotics

Many organic and inorganic compounds, fibers, and particles are capable of damaging nucleic acids by generating reactive oxygen species via the reduction of dioxygen. These stimuli include different classes of organic compounds, classic prooxidants (anticancer antibiotics, various quinones, asbestos fibers, and so on), and even antioxidants, which can be oxidized in the presence of transition metal ions. 

Quinones of various degrees of complexity have antibiotic, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities, eg, a2iddinornitosene [80954-63-8] (36), (-)-2-methyl-l,4-naphthoquinone 2,3-epoxide [61840-91 -3] (37), and doxombicin [23214-92-8] (adriamycin) (38) (see Antibiotics Chemotherapeutics, anticancer), ah of these natural and synthetic materials have stimulated extensive research in synthetic chemistry. 

There are various pathways for free radical-mediated processes in microsomes. Microsomes can stimulate free radical oxidation of various substrates through the formation of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals (the latter in the presence of iron) or by the direct interaction of chain electron carriers with these compounds. One-electron reduction of numerous electron acceptors has been extensively studied in connection with the conversion of quinone drugs and xenobiotics in microsomes into reactive semiquinones, capable of inducing damaging effects in humans. (In 1980s, the microsomal reduction of anticancer anthracycline antibiotics and related compounds were studied in detail due to possible mechanism of their cardiotoxic activity and was discussed by us earlier [37], It has been shown that semiquinones of... 

Quinones of various degrees of complexity have antibiotic, antimicrobial. and anticancer activities. 

Antibiotic-683 (210) [152] reveals an unusual OH residue at C-4 and is therefore related to elmycin E and X-14881 D [3]. The nearly completely saturated ring C is probably a result of biosynthetic redox reactions leading to an epoxide ring between C-6 a and C-12 a and a reduced quinone system (see also elmycin C). Structure 210 is produced by Streptomyces sp. strain Y-83,30683 and shows antibacterial and extraordinary anticancer (mouse leukemia l-1210, ICjq 3 g ml ) activities. Another recent relative of 210 and elmycin C is angucyclinone D 211,... 

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