NEW NAPHTHOQUINONIC ANTIPROLIFERATIVE COMPOUNDS.

TOXICITY
TESTS
Violeta Niculescu1, Radu Tamaian1, Bogdan Sevastre2, Iulia Prodan2, Nadia Paun1, Ioan
Marcus2
1

National R&D Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies I.C.I.T. Rm.Valcea,
Uzinei Street no. 4, Zip code 240050 Rm.Valcea, Valcea, Romania

The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj Napoca, Manastur
Street no. 3-5, Zip code 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Recent researches revealed the therapeutical potential of quinone derivates (antitumoural,

antibiotic, antimalaria, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer). Among quinones, a special accent
has the study of naphthoquinone derivates which present powerful antitumoural effects 1 and
they represent a possible therapeutically instrument, but their potential efficiency is limited by
the poor natural resources and raised cytotoxicity2. This study refers to the synthesis of 2chloro-3-nicotinamido-1,4- naphthoquinone (CNNQ) and

2-mercapto-3-nicotinamido-1,4-

naphthoquinone (MNNQ). Toxicity tests were performed on 4 groups of NMRI mice, of 5

animals per lot which, in the first phase were batched and weighted, determining the weight
per animal and per lot. It was found that: the administration of the 2 quinones taken in NMRI
mice to study causes them a series of clinical events, which culminates in some cases with
their death, against the backdrop of a state of exhaustion. Quinones administration causes to
animals from lots 3 and 4 behavioural changes, visible in the early post-administration hours,
consisting in a pronounced state of irregularity, lethargy, drowsiness, dehydration, loss of
appetite, visible deterioration of the general state of health. Necropsy examination conducted
on slaughtered animals showed no major macroscopically damage, at the organ and tissue
examined, unlike the dead animals, where there is a internal lesions picture very well defined,
marked by the presence of some areas of myocardial necrosis and also small necrosis areas in
kidneys, lungs, adrenal glands and gastrointestinal tract.
References:
[1]

Itoigawa M., Ito C., Tan H.T., Okuda M., Tokuda H., Nishino H., Furukawa H. (2001). Cancer

chemopreventive activity of naphthochinones and their analogs from Avicennia plants. Cancer Lett., Vol. 174,
Issue 2,135-9 (ISSN: 0304-3835).
[2]

Kayser O., Kiderlen A.F., Laatsch H., Croft S.L. (2000). In vitro leishmanicidal activity of monomeric

and dimeric naphthochinones. Acta Tropica, Vol. 77, 307314.