Lipophilic naphthols and 1,4-naphthoquinones as inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis. 6. Study of 1,4-naphthoquinones

A number of plumgagin homologues (2-alkyl-1,4-naphthoquinones) and their 3-methyl derivatives are synthesized to enhance the inhibition of the prostaglandin synthetase (PGS)-activity by the natural compound plumbagin and to minimize its toxicity. The inhibition of the enzyme activity by the new naphthoquinones is only weak but their naphthol precursors are strong PGS-inhibitors. The mechanism of this enzyme interaction by the lipophilic naphthol derivatives is discussed in context with their singlet oxygen (1O2) reactive properties.     

Reviews on 1,4-naphthoquinones from Diospyros L

The genus Diospyros is one of the most important sources of bioactive compounds, exclusively 1,4-naphthoquinones. The following information is an attempt to cover the developments in the biology and phytochemistry of 1,4-naphthoquinones isolated from this genus, as well as the studies done and the suggested mechanisms regarding their activities. During the past 60 years, many of these agents have been isolated from Diospyros L. Twelve considerable bioactive structures are reported in this review. The basic 1,4-naphthoquinone skeletons, on which a large number of studies have been done, are plumbagin and diospyrin. Today, the potential for development of leads from 1,4-naphthoquinones obtained from Diospyros L. is growing dramatically, mainly in the area of anticancer and antibacterial investigations. The data prepared and described here are intended to be served as a reference tool to the natural products and chemistry specialists in order to expand the rational drug design.     

Studies on the antibacterial and antifungal properties of 1,4-naphthoquinones

1. New halogenated 1,4-naphthoquinones were synthesized and together with other known 1,4-naphthoquinones, were screened for antibacterial activity by a turbidimetric method, and for antifungal activity by the diffusion method on agar plates.2. The half-wave potentials and the influence on the oxidative phosphorylation of some of these compounds were determined.3. 2-chloro-3,2'-chloro-ethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (half-wave potential=-187 mV) was the most active compound, completely inhibiting cell respiration.4. While the natural active naphthoquinones, vitamin K and ubiquinones, possess, as substituent, the electron repelling methyl group, the microbiologically active 1,4-naphthoquinones are substituted, in the quinone moiety, with electron attracting groups such as OH or Cl.5. The half-wave potentials can give only an initial indication of the activity of the compounds studied; a good correlation, on the contrary, can be found between the ultraviolet spectra of such compounds and their activity which seems to depend on the ability of active compounds to exist in an extensively conjugated structure and to form hydrogen bonds.     

Anti-cancer activities of 1,4-naphthoquinones: a QSAR study

Quinone moieties are present in many drugs such as anthracyclines, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrones and saintopin, which are used clinically in the therapy of solid cancers. The cytotoxic effects of these quinones are mainly due to the following two factors: (i) inhibition of DNA topoisomerase-II and, (ii) formation of semiquinone radical that can transfer an electron to oxygen to produce super oxide, which is catalyzed by flavoenzymes such as NADPH-cytochrome-P-450 reductase. Both semiquinone and super oxide of quinones can generate the hydroxyl radical, which is the cause of DNA strand breaks. 1,4-naphthoquinone contains two quinone groups that have the ability to accept one or two electrons to form the corresponding radical anion or di-anion species. It is probably dependent on the quinone redox cycling that yields "reactive oxygen species" (ROS) as well as arylation reactions, which is common to quinones for biological relevance. In the present review, an attempt has been made to collect the cytotoxicity data on different series of 1,4-naphthoquinones against four different cancer cell lines that are L1210, A549, SNU-1, and K562, which were acquired by using identical method, and has been discussed in terms of QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationships) to understand the chemical-biological interactions. QSAR results have shown that the cytotoxic activities of 1,4-naphthoquinones depend largely on their hydrophobicity.     

Synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1,4-naphthoquinones as antiplatelet agents

In continuing search for novel antiplatelet agents, the highly potent agent 2-chloro-3-methoxycarbonylethylcarboxamido-1,4-naphthoquinone 2 was selected as lead compound. Structure-activity relationships in this series were examined. Some of these compounds showed significant antiplatelet activities. Further studies on the action mechanism showed that 2-acetamido-3-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone 4 has a direct inhibitory action on cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) activity in platelets.     

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory 1,4-naphthoquinones from Impatiens balsamina L

Significant selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activities were observed for two new 1,4-naphthoquinone sodium salts, sodium 3-hydroxide-2[[sodium 3-hydroxide-1,4-dioxo(2-naphthyl)]ethyl]naphthalene-1,4-dione (impatienolate) (1) and sodium 2-hydroxide-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)naphthalene-1,4-dione (balsaminolate) (2), which were isolated from the corolla of Impatiens balsamina L. (Balsaminaceae). Their structures were elucidated by spectral techniques. Our results offer evidence supporting the use of I. balsamina L. to treat articular rheumatism, pain, and swelling.     

Phencyclidine-like effects of tetrahydroisoquinolines and related compounds

A series of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines, tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]pyridines, and related compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit binding of [3H]-1-[1-(2-thienyl)piperidine and [3H]-N-allylnormetazocine to phencyclidine (PCP) and sigma receptors, respectively. A representative series of compounds was evaluated in behavioral assays to determine the ability of the compounds to induce PCP-like stereotyped behavior and ataxia. All of the compounds caused stereotyped behavior and ataxia, indicating their agonist actions at the PCP site.     

The synthesis and antimicrobial activities of some 1,4-naphthoquinones (II)

In order to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of 2,3-disubstituted-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives we newly synthesized several 2-chloro and 2-bromo-3-(substituted)-1,4-naphthoquninones. Amination reaction of 2,3-dihalo-1,4-naphthoquinones with aryl and aliphatic amines in ethanol gave 2-halo-3-(N-alkyl or N-aryl)-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives (1a,b–10a,b) in 60%–90% yield. These derivatives subjected to antibacterial and antifungal activities,in vitro, againstBacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Candida albicans 10231 and local, Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC10490, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538p, Escherichia coli NIHJ, Aspergillus niger KCTC 1231. Tricophyton mentagrophytes KCTC 6085. Among these derivatives,1b, 6b and7a showed the potent antibacterial activities.1b, 8b and9b have the antifungal activities.1b is most effective in preventing the growth ofBacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger. Tricophyton mentagrophytes. The several of these compounds demonstrated a broad spectrum of activitiesin vitro.     

Substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones vs. the ascitic sarcoma 180 of mice

Twelve 1,4-naphthoquinones have been tested against the ascitic form of sarcoma 180 in Swiss mice. Statistical analysis shows that the most important molecular parameter determining their effectiveness in prolonging the life of mice bearing this tumor is their redox potentials. Although the toxicities of the compounds are also related to the redox potentials in the same way, the therapeutic indexes can be increased by adding substituents of greater lipophilicity. The naphthoquinones differ greatly in antitumor activities and may inhibit the growth of malignant cells by different mechanisms.