Abstract
Sixteen naphthoquinones with various substituents were tested for cytotoxicity toward cultured resting leukemia L1210 cells. The cytotoxicity of all the naphthoquinones examined was not affected at all by the treatment in combination with diethyl maleate, a glutathione-specific SH-blocking agent in the cells. Depending on the characteristics of the response to the treatment in combination with iodoacetamide (IAA) and glutathione (GSH), these naphthoquinones were tentatively classified into three groups. The chemicals of Group I, which include naphthoquinones carrying an electron-donating group(s) other than an OH group on the quinone ring moiety, showed synergistic cytotoxicity with IAA and no reduction in cytotoxicity with GSH. Those of Group II, which include naphthoquinones without an electron-donating group on the quinone ring moiety, showed no synergy with IAA but appeciable reductions in cytotoxicity with GSH. Group III includes 2-hydroxylated naphthoquinones, which showed neither synergy with IAA nor cytotoxicity reduction with GSH. Cytotoxicity was discussed in terms of the electron-deficiency of the quinone ring moiety. It is suggested that the cytotoxicity of Group I quinones comes from the active oxygen generation which follows semiquinone formation, whereas that of the other groups of quinones is not likely caused simply by either SH-blocking of biomolecules or active oxygen-related mechanism.
