Enhancement of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid-induced T cell apoptosis through cinnabarinic acid generation

.Induction of apoptosis by 100 μM of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA) was enhanced by SOD as well as MnCl2 and further promoted in the presence of catalase. Corresponding to apoptosis induction, the generation of cinnabarinic acid (CA) through the oxidation of 3HAA was enhanced by SOD or MnCl2 in the presence of catalase. Synthesized CA possessed more than 10 times higher apoptosis-inducing activity than 3HAA. CA generated from 3HAA possesses strong apoptosis-inducing activity in thymocytes through reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase activation.