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Actinidine is an
iridoid
Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mos ...
produced in nature by a wide variety of plants and animals. It was the first cyclopentanoid monoterpene
Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen funct ...
alkaloid to be discovered. It is one of several compounds that may be extracted from the valerian (''Valeriana officinalis'') root and silver vine (''Actinidia polygama
''Actinidia polygama'' (also known as , silver vine, , and cat powder) is a species of kiwifruit in the Actinidiaceae family. It grows in the mountainous areas of Korea, Japan and China at elevations between .
Silver vine can reach up to high ...
''), as well as several types of insects in the larval and imaginal stages. Actinidine is a cat attractant, with effects like those of nepetalactone
Nepetalactone is a name for multiple iridoid analog stereoisomers. Nepetalactones are produced by ''Nepeta cataria'' ( catnip) and many other plants belonging to the genus '' Nepeta'', in which they protect these plants from herbivorous insects b ...
, the active compound found in catnip
''Nepeta cataria'', commonly known as catnip, catswort, catwort, and catmint, is a species of the genus '' Nepeta'' in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of China. It is widely ...
.
Certain species of stick insects, including ''Megacrania batesii
''Megacrania batesii'', commonly known as the peppermint stick insect, is an unusual species of stick insect found in northeastern Australia, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and possibly as far north as the Philippines. ...
'' and ''Megacrania tsudai
''Megacrania'' is a genus of the subfamily Megacraniinae of stick insects. Members of this genus are commonly referred to as "peppermint stick insects", due to the characteristic odor of their defensive spray, as well as the cylindrical, twig-li ...
'', possess a chemical defense
Chemical defense is a life history strategy employed by many organisms to avoid consumption by producing toxic or repellent metabolites or chemical warnings which incite defensive behavioral changes. The production of defensive chemicals occurs in ...
mechanism which involves the secretion of an actinidine-containing substance from the prothoracic
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...
glands, when threatened by a predator.
Biosynthesis
A potential biosynthesis of actinidine from -citronellal is shown below.
References