Chapter 8

Induction of Apoptosis by Redox-Cycling Quinones

Karin llinger and Katarina Kgedal
Division of Pathology II, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkping University, Linkping, Sweden

1.

INTRODUCTION

Studies have shown that apoptosis can be induced in many different ways, whereas the morphological features associated with such cell death are highly conserved. This implies the coexistence of multiple signaling pathways that converge upstream of a common sequence of events and culminate in apoptosis. There is growing evidence that the final outcome of an apoptosis-triggering signal is dictated by the ability of a cell to maintain an appropriate oxidant-antioxidant balance and metabolism of redox cycling compounds, such as quinones, will alter the intracellular redox balance. Quinones comprise a large group of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds that have functional, toxicological, mutagenic, and antitumor actions. In this chapter, we discuss the mechanisms of quinone-induced cell damage and death, and we also summarize results in the literature indicating that lysosomal enzymes may take part in quinone-elicited apoptosis.

2.

QUINONES

Quinones are widespread in nature (Thomson, 1971) and have a variety of functions in the life cycles of most kinds of living organisms. These diketones are found in higher plants, fungi, bacteria, and throughout the animal kingdom, and they play a central role in many biosynthetic processes that involve electron transport, such as cellular respiration (ubiquinone) and photosynthesis (plastoquinone). Vitamin K is an important factor in blood
Subcellular Biochemistry, Volume 36: Phospholipid Metabolism in Apoptosis. Edited by Quinn and Kagan. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2002

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