Hesperadin(IC50=250 nM) effectively inhibits Aurora B. It potently reduces the activity of AMPK, MAPKAP-K1, MKK1, Lck, CHK1 and PHK, but it could not inhibit MKK1 activity in vivo.

In HeLa cells, Hesperadin causing defects in mitosis and cytoplasmic division, leading to cell proliferation and polyploidization stopped, because of Aurora B function inhibition during chromosome connection. Addition of 20-100 nM Hesperadin leading to loss of phosphorylation of the mitogenic histone H3 at the Ser10 site. When Hesperadin concentration was 1 μM, other kinases (AMPK, Lck, MKK1, MAPKAP-K1, CHK1, and PHK) activity were significantly reduced.In an in vitro kinase assay, Hesperadin (IC50 = 40 nM) blocked recombinant trypton histone H3 phosphorylation by T. brucei Aurora kinase-1 (TbAUK1) from the pathogenic Trypanosoma brucei. Hesperadin (IC50 = 48 nM) significantly inhibited the growth of cultured infectious blood form (BF) cells, while Hesperadin (IC50 = 550 nM) and weakly inhibited the growth of insect circulation stage (PF) cells.

For the Aurora B kinase assay, HeLa cells are lysed in a buffer containing 50 mM NaCl, then centrifuging at 13,000 rpm for 20 minutes at 4 °C. Discard supernatant, add 15 mL lysis buffer containing 250 mM NaCl in order to obtain active Aurora B kinase. Centrifuging at low-speed supernatant of the latter extract is used for immunoprecipitation. Monoclonal mouse anti–AIM-1, or mouse anti-HA, is coupled to GammaBind Plus Sepharose, and beads are rotated over-end in the extract for 90 minutes at 4 °C. Beads are washed, aliquoted, and washed in kinase buffer (20 mM Tris, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM MgCl2, 1 mM DTT, 10 mM NaF). The kinase assay is performed with 10 μL beads in 20 μL kinase buffer containing 5 μg histone H3, 10 μM ATP, 2.5 μCi [γ-32P]ATP, and different concentrations of Hesperadin for 20 minutes at 37 °C.

HeLa cells and PtK1 cells are added Hesperadin 500 nM for 24 and 48 hours.