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The article discusses the use of quinone-based compounds and histone deacetylase inhibitors in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and cancer. The study focuses on the biological effects of compounds integrating a quinone substructure and histone deacetylase inhibition. Compound 6 exhibited potent cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, while compound 8 showed the ability to stimulate neural precursor cell proliferation and induce differentiation into neurons without affecting glial cell commitment. The findings suggest potential therapeutic benefits for both diseases.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cancer are among the most devastating diseases of the 21st century. Although the clinical manifestations are different and the cellular mechanisms underlying the pathologies are opposite, there are different classes of molecules that are effective in both diseases, such as quinone-based compounds and histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs). Herein, we investigate the biological effects of a series of compounds built to exploit the beneficial effects of quinones and histone deacetylase inhibition (compounds 1–8). Among the different compounds, compound 6 turned out to be a potent cytotoxic agent in SH-SY5Y cancer cell line, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value lower than vorinostat and a pro-apoptotic activity. On the other hand, compound 8 was nontoxic up to the concentration of 100 μM and was highly effective in stimulating the proliferation of neural precursor cells (NPCs), as well as inducing differentiation into neurons, at low micromolar concentrations. In particular, it was able to induce NPC differentiation solely towards a neuronal-specific phenotype, without affecting glial cells commitment.
This article is Open Access
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