Carboxylic Derivatives of Vitamin K2 Inhibit Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Growth through Caspase/Transglutaminase-Related Signaling Pathways.

Chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most challenging aspects of medical research. Vitamin K2 (VK2) has been suggested for its chemopreventive role in treatment of HCC, while inconsistent results in clinical trials have been reported. The present study was initiated to add to our insight into the anti-HCC cell proliferative effect of VK2 and its derivatives from a viewpoint of chemical structure.

Systematic synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of ω-carboxylated menaquinone derivatives--Investigations on identified and putative vitamin K₂ metabolites.

Vitamin K is an essential nutrient for blood coagulation and bone homeostasis, and also functions in many physiological processes including inflammation and cancer progression. However, the nature and activities of its metabolites remain unclear. We report here systematic synthesis of ω-carboxylated derivatives of menaquinone (vitamin K2), including previously identified metabolites 5, K acid I (10), and K acid II (12), and evaluation of their inhibitory activity toward LPS-stimulated induction of inflammatory cytokines.