Comparative study on biological activities of heterocyclic quinones and streptonigrin

Thirteen heterocyclic quinones (5 quinoline quinones, 7 isoquinoline quinones, 1 indole quinone) were tested for their effects on avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase, growth of murine lymphoblastoma L5178Y cells, respiration of rat liver mitochondria and oxidation of NADH by Clostridium kluyveri diaphorase in comparison with those of streptonigrin, in which the quinoline quinone moiety is considered to play a crucial role. Most of the quinoline quinones and isoquinoline quinones inhibited reverse transcriptase to the same extent as streptonigrin with the ID50 values ranging between 1 and 5 micrograms/ml, whereas the ID50 value of the indole quinone derivative, 4,7-dihydro-2,3-dimethylindole-4,7-dione, was 80 micrograms/ml. The cytotoxicities of the quinones were much lower than that of streptonigrin; the ID50 values of the quinones were higher than 0.15 micrograms/ml. In particular, the ID50 value of the ortho-quinoline quinone derivative, 8-methoxy-7-methyl-5,6-dihydroquinoline-5,6-dione, was as high as 16 micrograms/ml, while the 50% inhibition of cell growth was seen in the presence of 0.0025 micrograms/ml streptonigrin. The membrane transport of the quinones was evaluated by comparing the effects on oxygen consumption by mitochondria and oxidation of NADH by bacterial diaphorase, being proven not to be responsible for their lower cytotoxicities.