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Photodynamic Activity of 4-Nitroquinoline-l-oxide and Related Compounds

Abstract

4-NITROQUINOLINE-l-OXIDE (4-NQO) is a potent water-soluble carcinogen the properties of which include phage induction1, mutagenicity2, high toxicity to single cell systems3, malignant transformation4 and production of nuclear inclusion bodies and chromosomal aberrations in mammalian cells in tissue culture5,6. It also binds to DNA7,8. We have now also demonstrated photodynamic activity in 4-NQO and related compounds. Photodynamic activity may be defined as a phenomenon dependent on oxygen, in which a combination of light energy and chemical sensitizer produces effects induced by neither component alone9.

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NAGATA, C., FUJII, K. & EPSTEIN, S. Photodynamic Activity of 4-Nitroquinoline-l-oxide and Related Compounds. Nature 215, 972–973 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/215972a0

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