Enhancement of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid-induced T cell apoptosis through cinnabarinic acid generation

Abstract

Induction of apoptosis by 100 μM of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA) was enhanced by SOD as well as MnCl₂ and further promoted in the presence of catalase. Corresponding to apoptosis induction, the generation of cinnabarinic acid (CA) through the oxidation of 3HAA was enhanced by SOD or MnCl₂ in the presence of catalase. Synthesized CA possessed more than 10 times higher apoptosis-inducing activity than 3HAA. CA generated from 3HAA possesses strong apoptosis-inducing activity in thymocytes through reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase activation.