valine-naphthoquinone

Valine-naphthoquinone is a synthetic amino acid-naphthoquinone derivative investigated for its potential antineoplastic activity, particularly in the treatment of cervical cancer. Synthesized through microwave-assisted methods, it consists of a valine moiety coupled to a 1,4-naphthoquinone core. Its primary mechanism of action involves redox cycling of the quinone moiety to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induces oxidative stress and inhibits cell proliferation. In preclinical studies, it has demonstrated dose-dependent cytotoxicity against various cervical cancer cell lines, including SiHa (HPV16+), CaLo (HPV18+), and C33-A (HPV-). The chlorinated version of the compound (chloride-valine-naphthoquinone) has shown significantly higher potency, reaching nanomolar IC50 values in certain cell lines.

Other names

2-((1,4-dioxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)amino)-3-methylbutanoic acid2-((3-chloro-1,4-dioxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)amino)-3-methylbutanoic acidchloride-valine-naphthoquinonechloro-valine-naphthoquinone