Vitamin K3 (menadione) and related quinones, like tumor-promoting phorbol esters, alter the affinity of epidermal growth factor for its membrane receptors.

The effects of vitamin K3, quinones, fat-soluble vitamins, and various naturally occurring and synthetic compounds on the binding of 125I-epidermal growth factor (EGF) to mink lung cells or murine 3T3 cells in culture were studied. Vitamin K3, but not other fat-soluble vitamins, markeldy inhibits the binding of 125I-labeled EGF to treated cells, but does not affect the binding of insulin, concanavalin A, alpha-2-macroglobulin, and murine leukemia virus glycoprotein, gp70, to their membrane receptors. The binding of multiplication stimulating activity to treated cells is also reduced to some extent. Vitamin K3 alters the affinity of the receptors for EGF without changing the total number of available receptors per cell. Vitamin K3 modulation of EGF-receptor interaction is a temperature- and time-dependent phenomenon. EGF-receptor interaction is also significantly modulated by 1,4-naphthoquinone, 1,4-benzoquinone, and phenanthrenequinone but not by other quinones of anthracyclic antibiotics.