
For the purposes of this chapter, these reactions are generally not considered in the discussion of combustion reactions. In this case, there is no water and no carbon dioxide formed. The exacerbation of pulmonary diseases by air pollutants can, in part, be attributed to quinone action.\nonumber \]

Effects of exposure to naphthoquinones as environmental chemicals can vary with the physical state, i.e., whether the quinone is particle bound or is in the vapor state. Dependence of the Electron Attachment Cross Section and the Transient Negative Ion Lifetime for p-Benzoquinone and 1,4-naphthoquinone, Chem. These actions vary with the specific quinone and its concentration. J.A.S., Enthalpies of combustion of 1,4-naphthoquinone, 9,10-anthraquinone, 9,10-phenanthraquinone, 1,4,9,10-anthradiquinone. Through their actions on regulatory proteins, quinones affect various cell signaling pathways that promote and protect against inflammatory responses and cell damage. The targets for these reactions include regulatory proteins such as protein tyrosine phosphatases Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1, the regulatory protein for NF-E2-related factor 2 and the glycolysis enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Quinones exert their actions through two reactions: as prooxidants, reducing oxygen to reactive oxygen species and as electrophiles, forming covalent bonds with tissue nucleophiles. 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinones are also toxic metabolites of naphthalene, the major polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon present in ambient air. The naphthoquinones are of particular interest because of their prevalence as natural products and as environmental chemicals, present in the atmosphere as products of fuel and tobacco combustion. For example, using hepatocytes treated with 1-naphthol, 1,2-, and 1,4-NQ in increasing concentrations showed a reduction in GSH levels, culminating with cell death (cytotoxicity) (Doherty et al., 1984). One approach is the use of adjuvants in antibiotic therapy. This review describes the chemistry, biochemistry, and cellular effects of 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinones and their derivatives. The toxic effects promoted by 1,2-NQ were studied in several cellular lines. Aims: Currently, limited antibiotics are available to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Quinones are a group of highly reactive organic chemical species that interact with biological systems to promote inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer actions and to induce toxicities.
