Effect of the Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidant SkQ1 on Development of Spontaneous Tumors in BALB/c Mice

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V. N. Manskikh^1,2*, M. S. Krasilshchikova³, V. A. Vygodin², and M. V. Egorov²

¹Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia

²Institute of Mitoengineering, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; E-mail: manskikh@mail.ru

³Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received April 11, 2014; Revision received August 13, 2014

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The mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 (10-(6′-plastoquinonyldecyl)triphenylphosphonium) is a new pharmaceutical substance with a wide spectrum of effects including increase in lifespan of laboratory animals (for example, of BALB/c mice males) and inhibition of development of some experimental tumors and also of tumor cell growth. In this work, the effects of SkQ1 on development of spontaneous tumors in female and male BALB/c mice housed in an SPF-class vivarium were studied. We found that the addition of SkQ1 to drinking water at the dose of 1 and 30 nmol/kg body weight per day throughout the lifespan modified the spectrum of spontaneous tumors in the female mice, decreasing the incidence of follicular lymphomas. SkQ1 at the dose of 1 nmol/kg per day also suppressed the dissemination of these neoplasms, but it did not significantly influence the overall incidence of benign and malignant tumors (including primary multiple tumors) or the lifespan of the tumor-bearing mice (both males and females). Hence, the previously described ability of SkQ1 to increase the lifespan of laboratory BALB/c mice is not related to its anticarcinogenic activity.

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KEY WORDS: mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, SkQ1, spontaneous tumors, BALB/c mice

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297914100162

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