A major goal of personalized medicine in oncology is the identification of drugs with predictable efficacy based on a specific trait of the cancer cell, as has been demonstrated with gleevec (presence of Bcr-Abl protein), herceptin (Her2 overexpression), and iressa (presence of a specific EGFR mutation). This is a challenging task, as it requires identifying a cellular component that is altered...

Possessing the quinone moiety, ilimaquinone (1), a sponge–derived sesquiterpene quinone, has been hypothesised to express its cytotoxicity through redox cycling process, yielding active product(s) that can cause DNA damage. To determine damaging effects of 1 and examine whether transformation may participate in functions, properties 1, corresponding hydroquinone (2) triacetates (3) their 5-epim...

Plant cell cultures as valuable tools for the production of specific metabolites can be greatly improved by the application of elicitors including cyclodextrins (CDs) for enhancing the yields of the desired plant compounds. Here the effects of 2,6-dimethyl-β-cyclodextrins (DIMEB) on the production of carotenoids and quinones from Artemisia annua L. cell suspension cultures were investigated. Th...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) comprise a group of persistent organic pollutants that differ significantly in their physicochemical properties, their persistence, and their biological activities. They can be metabolized via hydroxylated and dihydroxylated metabolites to PCB quinone intermediates. We have recently demonstrated that both dihydroxy PCBs and PCB quinones can form semiquinone radi...

The toxicity of quinones is generally thought to occur by two mechanisms: the formation of covalent bonds with biological molecules by Michael addition chemistry and the catalytic reduction of oxygen to superoxide and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) (redox cycling). In an effort to distinguish between these general mechanisms of toxicity, we have examined the toxicity of five quinones to ye...

Interactions o f halogenated benzoquinones with the acceptor side o f Photosystem (PS) II were studied by measuring fluorescence induction curves and flash-induced absorbance changes in PS II particles isolated from Synechococcus vulcanus. Following results were ob­ tained: 1) Addition o f some halogenated benzoquinones prior to 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-l,ldimethylurea (D C M U ) in the dark incr...

Vapour and particle-associated concentrations of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and 11 PAH quinones have been measured in winter and summer campaigns at the rural site, Weybourne in eastern England. Concentrations of individual PAH are relatively smaller than average concentrations measured previously at urban sites in the UK. The concentrations of PAH of the air masses originating f...

Quinones have been widely studied as a potential catholyte in water-based redox flow batteries (RFBs) due to their ability carry both electrons and protons aqueous solutions. The wide variety of quinones derivatives offers exciting opportunities optimize the device performance while poses theoretical challenges quantify electrochemical behavior required for molecular design. Computational scree...