Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) and plumbagin (5-hydroxy-3-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) are yellow pigments found in black walnut (Juglans regia). Herbal preparations derived from black walnut have been used as hair dyes and skin colorants in addition to being applied topically for the treatment of acne, inflammatory diseases, ringworm, and fungal, bacterial, or viral infections. We have studied the cytotoxicity of these quinones to HaCaT keratinocytes. Exposure to juglone or plumbagin (1-20 microM) resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability. The cytotoxicity of these quinones is due to two different mechanisms, namely, redox cycling and reaction with glutathione (GSH). Redox cycling results in the generation of the corresponding semiquinone radicals, which were detected by electron paramagnetic resonance. Incubation of keratinocytes with the quinones generated hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and resulted in the oxidation of GSH to GSSG. Depletion of GSH by buthionine sulfoximine enhanced semiquinone radical production, increased H(2)O(2) generation, and produced greater cytotoxicity, suggesting that GSH plays an important protective role. Both quinones decreased the intracellular levels of GSH. However, plumbagin stoichiometrically converted GSH to GSSG, indicating that redox cycling is its main metabolic pathway. In contrast, much of the GSH lost during juglone exposure, especially at the higher concentrations (10 and 20 microM), did not appear as GSSG, suggesting that the cytotoxicity of this quinone may also involve nucleophilic addition to GSH. Our findings indicate that topical preparations containing juglone and plumbagin should be used with care as their use may damage the skin. However, it is probable that the antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties of these quinones are the result of redox cycling.

This paper reports on the development of a new structural biology technique for determining the membrane topology of an integral membrane protein inserted into magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers (bicelles) using EPR spectroscopy. The nitroxide spin probe, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-4-amino-4-carboxylic acid (TOAC) was attached to the pore-lining transmembrane domain (M2δ) of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and incorporated into a bicelle. The corresponding EPR spectra revealed hyperfine splittings that were highly dependent on the macroscopic orientation of the bicelles with respect to the static magnetic field. The helical tilt of the peptide can be easily calculated using the hyperfine splittings gleaned from the orientational dependent EPR spectra. A helical tilt of 14° was calculated for the M2δ peptide with respect to the bilayer normal of the membrane, which agrees well with previous 15 N solid-state NMR studies. The helical tilt of the peptide was verified by simulating the corresponding EPR spectra using the standardized MOMD approach. This new method is advantageous because: (1) bicelle samples are easy to prepare, (2) the helical tilt can be directly calculated from the orientational-dependent hyperfine splitting in the EPR spectra, and (3) EPR spectroscopy is approximately 1000 fold more sensitive than 15 N solid-state NMR spectroscopy; thus, the helical tilt of an integral membrane peptide can be determined with only 100 μg of peptide. The helical tilt can be determined more accurately by placing TOAC spin labels at several positions with this technique.

Goldenseal is an herb which is widely used for many medical applications such as in eyewashes and skin lotions and which is currently undergoing testing by the National Toxicology Program. The main alkaloid constituent of Goldenseal is berberine. The topical application of Goldenseal or berberine to the skin or eyes raises the possibility that an adverse phototoxic reaction may result from an interaction between the alkaloid and light. We have therefore studied the photochemistry of berberine in different solvents and its phototoxicty to HaCaT keratinocytes. Irradiation of berberine in aqueous solutions does not generate (1)O(2), but in CH(2)Cl(2), (1)O(2) is produced with a quantum yield phi = 0.34. With the aid of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping technique and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), we have detected oxygen-centered radicals photogenerated by berberine in water and acetonitrile. In the latter solvent and in the absence of oxygen, the neutral berberine radical formed by one electron reduction was observed. Methanol radicals were detected by EPR in water/alcohol low-temperature glasses irradiated in the berberine long-wavelength absorption band. In such alcoholic glasses, we have also detected an EPR signal from the berberine triplet at 77 K, in contrast to aqueous glasses where neither triplet nor radicals were detectable. Our data show that, although a weak photosensitizer in water, berberine is able to produce both (1)O(2) and radical species in a nonpolar environment. UVA irradiation of HaCaT keratinocytes in the presence of 50 microM berberine resulted in an 80% decrease in cell viability and a 3-fold increase in DNA damage as measured by the Comet assay. These findings suggest that exposure to sunlight or artificial light sources emitting UVA should be avoided when topical preparations derived from Goldenseal or containing berberine are used.