UNLABELLED Ionizing radiation (IR) is a key therapeutic regimen for many head and neck cancers (HNC). However, the 5-year overall survival rate for locally advanced HNCs is approximately 50% and better therapeutic efficacy is needed. NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is overexpressed in many cancers, and β-lapachone (β-lap), a unique NQO1 bioactivatable drug, exploits this enzyme to rel...

The goal was to determine whether endogenous cytosolic NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) preferentially uses NADPH or NADH in intact pulmonary arterial endothelial cells in culture. The approach was to manipulate the redox status of the NADH/NAD(+) and NADPH/NADP(+) redox pairs in the cytosolic compartment using treatment conditions targeting glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway a...

NQO1 [NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1; also known as DT-diaphorase] is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyses the two-electron reduction of various quinones including vitamin K. The enzyme may play a role in vitamin K metabolism by reducing vitamin K to vitamin K hydroquinone for utilization in the post-translational γ-glutamyl carboxylation reactions required by several proteins involved in blood ...

Recently, we demonstrated the ability of heavy metals, particularly Hg2+, Pb2+, and Cu2+, to differentially modulate in Hepa 1c1c7 cells the expression of the phase II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1) and glutathione S-transferase subunit Ya (Gst ya) genes, yet the mechanisms involved remain unknown. To investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the ...

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the main causes chronic lung disease in premature infants. Acute injury following exposure to hyperoxia contributes development BPD preterm The nuclear factor‑erythroid 2‑related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway an endogenous antioxidant defense mechanism that involved pathogenesis numerous hyperoxia‑induced diseases. In present study, expression Nrf2...

NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) is commonly elevated in various types of human cancers, including pancreatic, breast and thyroid cancer, as well as others. However, little is known concerning the status of NQO1 in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). To investigate the clinicopathological significance of NQO1 expression and evaluate its role as a potential prognostic marker in SCLC, protein a...

A major goal of personalized medicine in oncology is the identification of drugs with predictable efficacy based on a specific trait of the cancer cell, as has been demonstrated with gleevec (presence of Bcr-Abl protein), herceptin (Her2 overexpression), and iressa (presence of a specific EGFR mutation). This is a challenging task, as it requires identifying a cellular component that is altered...

The enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) has been found to be up-regulated in pancreatic cancer as well as many other solid tumors. A recent study showed that inhibition of NQO1 in pancreatic cancer cells using the nonselective inhibitor dicumarol suppressed the malignant phenotype. The authors suggested that inhibition of cell growth might result from an increase in intracellular sup...

An inactivating polymorphism at position 609 in the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 gene (NQO1 C609T) is associated with an increased risk of adult leukemia. A small British study suggested that NQO1 C609T was associated with an increased risk of infant leukemias with MLL translocations, especially infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with t(4;11). We explored NQO1 C609T as a genetic risk...

BACKGROUND β-lapachone (β-lap), has been known to cause NQO1-dependnet death in cancer cells and sensitize cancer cells to ionizing radiation (IR). We investigated the mechanisms underlying the radiosensitization caused by β-lap. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS β-lap enhanced the effect of IR to cause clonogenic cells in NQO1(+)-MDA-MB-231 cells but not in NQO1(-)-MDA-MB-231 cells. β-lap cause...