Tetrachlorohydroquinone (TCHQ) is a metabolite of the organochlorine biocide pentachlorophenol. It is cytotoxic to RTL-W1 rainbow trout liver cells (EC50 = 1.55 μM in a neutralred assay). TCHQ increases production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibits apoptosis, and induces loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and necrosis in splenocytes. In vivo, TCHQ induces glutathione (GSH) depletion in mouse liver.
Globotetraosylceramides are bioactive neutral glycosphingolipids. They are the major glycolipids in human erythrocytes. They act as receptors for the Shiga toxins Stx1, Stx2, and Stx2e, the cytotoxic protein pierisin-1, and parvovirus B19. Globotetraosylceramides increase the expression of proteins responsible for enamel deposition, including ameloblastin, amelogenin, and enamelin, in dental epithelial cells and activate the ERK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Levels of globotetraosylceramides are elevated in fibroblasts from patients with salt and pepper syndrome, a neurocutaneous condition characterized by intellectual disability and hyper- and hypo-pigmented skin. Globotetraosylceramides (porcine RBC) contains a mixture of globotetraosylceramides with variable fatty acyl chain lengths isolated from porcine red blood cells.
Amustaline (S-303) dihydrochloride is a nucleic acid-targeted alkylator recognized for its efficacy as a pathogen inactivation agent in blood components containing red blood cells. This compound comprises three key elements: an acridine anchor (a non-covalently bonding intercalator targeting nucleic acids), an effector (a bis-alkylator group that interacts with nucleophiles), and a linker (a flexible carbon chain with a labile ester bond, hydrolyzing at neutral pH to non-reactive products).