title: Cancer chemopreventive activity of naphthoquinones and their analogs from Avicennia plants.
abstract: As a part of screening studies for cancer chemopreventive agents (anti-tumor promoters), six natural and four synthetic naphthoquinones and five of their analogs were tested for their inhibitory activities against Epstein-Barr virus early antigen activation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in Raji cells. Some of the 1,4-naphthoquinones and their analogs were found to show remarkably potent activities, without showing any cytotoxicity. 1,4-Furanonaphthoquinone (5) and its analog (9) isolated from Avicennia plants (Avicenniaceae), having an alcoholic OH group on the dihydrofuran-ring, displayed the most potent activity. Furthermore, avicenol-A (9) exhibited a marked inhibitory effect on mouse skin tumor promotion in an in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis test. The result of the present investigation indicated that some of these 1,4-naphthoquinones and their analogs might be valuable as potent cancer chemopreventive agents.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8503, Japan. itoigawa@tokaigakuen-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoigawa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010212:Papilloma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014775:Virus Activation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002273:Carcinogens; C033305:Epstein-Barr virus early antigen; D009285:Naphthoquinones; D010936:Plant Extracts; D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate