Quassinoid
Class of chemical compounds
Quassinoids are degraded triterpene lactones (similar to limonoids) of the Simaroubaceae plant family grouped into C-18, C-19, C-20, C-22 and C-25 types. The prototypical member of the group, quassin, was first described in the 19th century from plants of the genus Quassia from which it gets its name. It was isolated in 1937, and its structure elucidated in 1961.
01Uses
They are a biologically potent class of natural products, possessing antimalarial, antifeedant, insecticidal, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer (or anti-leukemic) properties. The quassinoid bruceantin reached two separate phase II clinical trials in 1982 and 1983.
Other quassinoids include:
- Ailanthone
- Bruceanols
- Bruceolide
- Eurycomanone
- Gutolactone
- Isobrucein A
- Neoquassin
- Nigakihemiacetal A
- Odyendanol
- Picrasinol D
- Quassimarin
- Samaderines
- Simalikalactones (including simalikalactones A, B, C, simalikalactone D, and simalikalactone E)
02Properties and effects
In addition to their intensely bitter taste, they exhibit antifeedant activity against insects. An antileukemic effect has also been reported. Furthermore, numerous studies have attributed antiviral, antiparasitic (particularly antimalarial), insecticidal, amoebicidal, and anti-inflammatory properties to many quassinoids.
03Other sources
- Z. Guo, S. Vangapandu, R.W. Sindelar, L.A. Walker, R.D. Sindelar., Biologically active quassinoids and their chemistry: potential leads for drug design, Frontier. Med. Chem., 4 (2009), pp. 285-308
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Quassinoid”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Quassin test ACS.png by User:Walkerma, Public domain
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