Menahydroquinone-4 may play a key role in regulating CCL5 expression induced by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors frequently cause severe skin rash as a side effect, which is a critical burden for patients who continuously receive drug treatments. Several recent clinical trials have shown that vitamin K is effective against these side effects; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. EGFR inhibitors induce C–C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) in dermopathy. We hypothesized that menahydroquinone-4 (MKH), the active form of menaquinone-4 (MK-4, vitamin K 2(20) ), supplied by biosynthesis or external delivery, is essential for the suppressive effect on CCL5. The aim of this study was to explore the underlying mechanisms governing the relieving effects of MKH against skin rashes caused by EGFR inhibitors. The responses generated by EGFR inhibitors and the effect of MKH derivatives (two ester derivatives and MK-4) on them were evaluated using human skin cell lines (HaCaT and HSC-1). EGFR inhibitors downregulated UbiA prenyltransferase domain-containing protein-1 (UBIAD1, MKH synthetase) expression and MKH biosynthesis. Knockdown of UBIAD1 or γ-glutamyl carboxylase and treatment with warfarin upregulated CCL5 expression. MKH derivatives suppressed the CCL5 expression induced by EGFR inhibitors. Our data strongly suggest that MKH is involved in suppressing CCL5 expression and alleviating the skin damage caused by EGFR inhibitors.