Contribuição das espécies reativas de oxigênio na atividade anti-leucêmica da cordiaquinona J

Abstract

Cordiaquinone J is a 1,4-naphthoquinone isolated from the roots of C. leucocephala, with antifungal and larvicidal activities. Nonetheless the cytotoxic effects of cordiaquinone J have never being explored. In the present study, it was investigated the effect of cordiaquinone J on tumor cells viability, showing IC50 values in the range of 2.7 to 6.6 μM in HL-60 and SF-295, respectively. Studies performed in HL-60 leukemia cells indicated that cordiaquinone J (1.5 and 3 μM) reduced cell viability and BrdU incorporation after 24 hours of incubation. Cordiaquinone J showed rapid induction of apoptosis, as indicated by phosphatidylserine externalization, caspase activation, DNA fragmentation and morphologic changes and, rapid induction of necrosis, as indicated by the loss of membrane integrity and morphologic changes. Cordiaquinone J altered the redox potential of tumor cells by inducing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential as initial events. The pretreatment of the cells with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) abolished most of the observed effects related to cordiaquinone J treatment, including those related to apoptosis and necrosis induction. Thus, present results highlight the antitumor potential of cordiaquinona J.