CASP3 and malignant colon neoplasm: We observed that the activation of caspase-3, an executor of apoptosis, and the formation of LC-3II, a marker of autophagy, were induced by ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone, which were identified as activators of the p53 pathway in colon cancer cells, thereby demonstrating that ilimaquinone and ethylsmenoquinone induce both apoptosis and autophagy-mediated cell death.