Protein Information

Name DT diaphorase
Synonyms Diaphorase; DHQU; DIA 4; DIA4; DT diaphorase; DTD; Diaphorase (NADH/NADPH); Diaphorase (NADH/NADPH) (cytochrome b 5 reductase)…

Compound Information

Name anthraquinone
CAS 9,10-anthracenedione

Reference List

PubMed Abstract RScore(About this table)
9884315 Kitamura S, Sugihara K, Tatsumi K: A unique tertiary amine N-oxide reduction system composed of quinone reductase and heme in rat liver preparations. Drug Metab Dispos. 1999 Jan;27(1):92-7.

When menadione was replaced with 1, 4-naphthoquinone or 9,10-anthraquinone, similar results were obtained in the cytosolic reduction.
This result suggested that the activity is caused by DT-diaphorase, a cytosolic quinone reductase, and hemoproteins in liver cytosol.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
19666717 Liu G, Zhou J, Fu QS, Wang J: The Escherichia coli azoreductase AzoR Is involved in resistance to thiol-specific stress caused by electrophilic quinones. J Bacteriol. 2009 Oct;191(20):6394-400. Epub 2009 Aug 7.

It was found that AzoR was capable of reducing several benzo-, naphtho-, and anthraquinone compounds, which were better substrates for AzoR than the model azo substrate methyl red.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
18548247 Liu G, Zhou J, Jin R, Zhou M, Wang J, Lu H, Qu Y: Enhancing survival of Escherichia coli by expression of azoreductase AZR possessing quinone reductase activity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2008 Sep;80(3):409-16. Epub 2008 Jun 12.

It could reduce naphthoquinones and anthraquinones, such as menadione, lawsone, anthraquinone-2-sulfonate, and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate.
3(0,0,0,3) Details
1370456 Rao PV, Krishna CM, Zigler JS Jr: Identification and characterization of the enzymatic activity of zeta-crystallin from guinea pig lens. J Biol Chem. 1992 Jan 5;267(1):96-102.

A novel NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase..
Among the various quinones tested, the orthoquinones 1,2-naphthoquinone and 9,10-phenanthrenequinone were the best substrates whereas menadione, ubiquinone, 9,10-anthraquinone, vitamins K1 and K2 were inactive as substrates.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
223343 Lengfelder E, Elstner EF: Cyanide insensitive iron superoxide dismutase in Euglena gracilis. Z Naturforsch C. 1979 May-Jun;34C(5-6):374-80.

If O2.- is generated chemically (autoxidation of reduced anthraquinone), photochemically (illuminated riboflavine) or pulse radiolytically, only protein P1 but not P2 shows SOD activity.
Protein P2, showing the spectral properties of a flavoprotein, exhibits the activities of ferredoxin-NADP-oxidoreductase and "diaphorase".
2(0,0,0,2) Details
12590585 Zhou Z, Fisher D, Spidel J, Greenfield J, Patson B, Fazal A, Wigal C, Moe OA, Madura JD: Kinetic and docking studies of the interaction of quinones with the quinone reductase active site. Biochemistry. 2003 Feb 25;42(7):1985-94.


NAD (P) H/quinone acceptor oxidoreductase type 1 (QR1) protects cells from cytotoxic and neoplastic effects of quinones though two-electron reduction.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
15202509 Jing YW, Yi J, Chen YY, Hu QS, Shi GY, Li H, Tang XM: Dicoumarol alters cellular redox state and inhibits nuclear factor kappa B to enhance arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin. 2004 Mar;36(3):235-42.

In the present study, we attempt to explore if dicoumarol, an inhibitor of NADPH: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), alters the cellular redox state and how this alteration affects the redox-related apoptosis.
Flow cytometry was used to assess the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptotic rates of HeLa cells treated with arsenic trioxide (As2O3) alone or in combination with natural anthraquinone emodin and dicoumarol or plus N-acetyl-cysteine.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
10826654 Longo V, Amato G, Salvetti A, Gervasi PG: Heterogenous effects of anthraquinones on drug-metabolizing enzymes in the liver and small intestine of rat. Chem Biol Interact. 2000 Apr 14;126(1):63-77.


In the liver, the intragastric administration for 3 days of 100 mg/kg 9,10-anthraquinone (9,10-AQ). 1-hydroxy-AQ, 1,4-dihydroxy-AQ, but not 1,2-dihydroxy-AQ and 2-carboxy-AQ, resulted in a significant induction of the UDP-GT, DT-diaphorase, P450 1A-linked monooxygenase activities and in particular the methoxyresorufin-O-demethylase (MEROD), an activity dependent on P450 1A2.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
11051422 Gunther H, Walter K, Kohler P, Simon H: On a new artificial mediator accepting NADP (H) oxidoreductase from Clostridium thermoaceticum. J Biotechnol. 2000 Oct 13;83(3):253-67.


The AMAPOR reacts with rather different artificial mediators such as viologens, quinones e.g. 1,4-benzoquinone or anthraquinone-2,6-disulphonate, 2,6-dichloro-indophenol and clostridial rubredoxin.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
1311584 Fisher GR, Gutierrez PL, Oldcorne MA, Patterson LH: NAD (P) H (quinone acceptor) oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase)-mediated two-electron reduction of anthraquinone-based antitumour agents and generation of hydroxyl radicals. Biochem Pharmacol. 1992 Feb 4;43(3):575-85.
162(2,2,2,2) Details
11999057 Rau J, Knackmuss HJ, Stolz A: Effects of different quinoid redox mediators on the anaerobic reduction of azo dyes by bacteria. Environ Sci Technol. 2002 Apr 1;36(7):1497-504.

From different quinones tested, generally anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS) and lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) caused the highest increase in the azoreductase activities.
6(0,0,1,1) Details
7488245 Begleiter A, Leith MK: Induction of DT-diaphorase by doxorubicin and combination therapy with mitomycin C in vitro. Biochem Pharmacol. 1995 Oct 12;50(8):1281-6.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthraquinone antitumor agent that has been used clinically with MMC for combination chemotherapy in breast cancer.
5(0,0,0,5) Details