naphthoquinones and 2-3-6-trimethyl-1-4-naphthoquinone

Tobacco and its use was discovered by Christopher Columbus in parallel with the discovery of America. Soon after, tobacco became a known medicinal plant in Europe. Its harmful effects were gradually discovered, especially those of tobacco smoke, and now it is considered a toxic plant. Tobacco leaf has a monograph in German "Hagers Enzyklopädie derArzneistoffe und Drogen", which describes its old, already not valid, medicinal use and clearly shows the toxic effects. Epidemiological studies indicate about 50% lower incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers than in non-smokers. In turn, studies of the brains of smokers using positron emission tomography showed significantly decreased level of monoamine oxidase B--an enzyme which degrades dopamine--the neurotransmitter which the significant insufficiency of about 80-85%, is responsible for the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. From the tobacco leaves there were isolated MAO-B inhibitors--naphthoquinone--2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone and diterpenoid -trans,trans-farnesol, which occur also in tobacco smoke. In the last decade many papers have appeared on the neuroprotective activity of nicotine, the best known component of tobacco. through the effect of this compound on specific nicotinic cholinergic receptors (nAChRs), which interacts with nigrostriatal dopaminergic system as well as the possibility of using nicotine for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, tobacco was also found to contain inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Tobacco cannot be considered a medicinal plant, but some compounds occurring in that plant may find therapeutic use.

Topics: Animals; Brain; Comorbidity; Humans; Monoamine Oxidase; Naphthoquinones; Neuroprotective Agents; Nicotiana; Nicotine; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; Parkinson Disease; Phytotherapy; Plants, Medicinal; Receptors, Nicotinic; Smoking

Studies were conducted with extracts of several varieties of tobacco in search of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitors which may be of value in the treatment of stroke. Current therapies do not directly exploit modulation of nNOS activity due to poor selectivity of the currently available nNOS inhibitors. The properties of a potentially novel nNOS inhibitor(s) derived from tobacco extracts, and the concentration-dependent, modulatory effects of the tobacco-derived naphthoquinone compound, 2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (TMN), on nNOS activity were investigated, using 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione) as a control. Up to 31 microM, both TMN and menadione stimulated nNOS-catalysed L-citrulline production. However, at higher concentrations of TMN (62.5-500 microM), the stimulation was lost in a concentration-dependent manner. With TMN, the loss of stimulation did not decrease beyond the control activity. With menadione (62.5-500 microM), the loss of stimulation surpassed that of the control (78+/-0.01% of control activity), indicating a true inhibition of nNOS activity. This study suggests that potential nNOS inhibitors are present in tobacco, most of which remain to be identified.

Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Citrulline; Enzyme Inhibitors; NADP; Naphthoquinones; Nicotiana; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; Oxidation-Reduction; Plant Extracts; Vitamin K 3

Epidemiological evidence suggests a lower incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers than in nonsmokers. This evidence, together with the lower levels of brain monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in smokers and the potential neuroprotective properties of MAO inhibitors, prompted studies which led to the isolation and characterization of 2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (TMN), an MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitor which is present in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Results of experiments reported here provide evidence that this compound protects against the MPTP-mediated depletion of neostriatal dopamine levels in the C57BL/6 mouse. These results support the hypothesis that the inhibition of MAO by constituents of tobacco smoke may be related to the decreased incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers.

Topics: Animals; Brain; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Monoamine Oxidase; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; Naphthoquinones; Neostriatum; Neuroprotective Agents; Nicotiana; Parkinsonian Disorders; Plant Extracts; Plants, Toxic