Deoxynyboquinone (DNQ) is a potent antineoplastic agent with an unknown mechanism of action. Here we describe a facile synthetic route to this anthraquinone, and we use this material to determine the mechanism by which DNQ induces death in cancer cells. DNQ was synthesized in seven linear steps through a route employing three palladium-mediated coupling reactions. Experiments performed on cancer cells grown in hypoxia and ...
