A shikonin derivative, beta-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin, is an ATP-non-competitive inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinases.

Studies of the mechanism of action of a shikonin derivative, beta-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (beta-HIVS), have revealed that beta-HIVS inhibits the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activities of the receptor for epidermal growth factor and v-Src. In this review, we compare the characteristics of the inhibition of PTK activity by beta-HIVS with those of other inhibitors of PTKs. The chemical structure of beta-HIVS is completely different from that of ATP and it does not resemble any of the PTK inhibitors reported to date, except that it includes the benzylidene moiety. In contrast to most PTK inhibitors, the mechanism of inhibition by beta-HIVS is non-competitive with respect to ATP, but competitive with respect to its peptide substrate. This feature of the mechanism of inhibition of PTK by beta-HIVS suggests that it might be useful in a clinical setting with other PTK inhibitors. When Bcr-Abl-positive, human leukemia K562 cells were treated simultaneously with beta-HIVS and STI571 (Gleevec), these compounds had a synergistic effect on both the induction of apoptosis in K562 cells and the inhibition of the phosphorylation activity of PTK, probably because the mechanism of interference with phosphorylation by beta-HIVS and the binding site of beta-HIVS are different from those of STI571.