Pterocarpans are derivatives of

isoflavonoid Isoflavonoids are a class of flavonoid phenolic compounds, many of which are biologically active. Isoflavonoids and their derivatives are sometimes referred to as phytoestrogens, as many isoflavonoid compounds have biological effects via the estr ...

s found in the family Fabaceae. It is a group of compounds which can be described as benzo-pyrano-furano-benzenes (i.e. 6''H''- enzofuro

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hromene skeleton) which can be formed by coupling of the B ring to the 4-one position. 2'-hydroxyisoflavone reductase is the enzyme responsible for the conversion in ''

Cicer arietinum The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are hig ...

'' and glyceollin synthase for the production of glyceollins,

phytoalexin Phytoalexins are antimicrobial substances, some of which are antioxidative as well. They are defined, not by their having any particular chemical structure or character, but by the fact that they are defensively synthesized ''de novo'' by plants th ...

s in

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu ...

Known compounds

* Bitucarpin A and B, isolated from the aerial parts of Mediterranean plants '' Bituminaria morisiana'' and '' Bituminaria bituminosa'' * Erybraedin A and B, isolated from the stems of '' Erythrina subumbrans'' and C, isolated from the leaves of '' Bituminaria morisiana'' * Erythrabyssin II, erystagallin A, erythrabissin-1, and erycristagallin isolated from the stems of '' Erythrina subumbrans'' * Glycinol, glyceollidin I and II, glyceollins ( glyceollin I, II,

III III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * Ins ...

and IV), found in the

(''Glycine max'') * Glycyrrhizol A, isolated from the root of the Chinese licorice plant (''Glycyrrhiza uralensis'') * Maackiain, isolated from the roots of ''

Maackia amurensis subsp. Buergeri ''Maackia amurensis'', commonly known as the Amur maackia, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae that can grow 15 metres (49 ft) tall. The species epithet and common names are from the Amur River region, where the tree originated; it o ...

'' * Medicarpin, found in ''

Medicago truncatula ''Medicago truncatula'', the barrelclover, strong-spined medick, barrel medic, or barrel medick, is a small annual legume native to the Mediterranean region that is used in genomic research. It is a low-growing, clover-like plant tall with trifol ...

'' * Morisianine, isolated from the seeds of '' Bituminaria morisiana'' * Orientanol A, isolated from the wood of ''

Erythrina orientalis ''Erythrina orientalis'' is a plant species in the genus ''Erythrina ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are ...

'' * Phaseolin, found in French bean seeds *

Pisatin Pisatin (3-hydroxy-7-methoxy-4′,5′-methylenedioxy-chromanocoumarane) is the major phytoalexin made by the pea plant ''Pisum sativum''. It was the first phytoalexin to be purified and chemically identified. The molecular formula is C17H14O6. ...

, found in ''

Pisum sativum The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

'' * Striatine, isolated from aerial parts of ''

Mundulea striata ''Mundulea striata'' is a plant species in the genus '' Mundulea''. The pterocarpan striatine can be isolated from aerial parts of ''M. striata''.A prenylated pterocarpan from Mundulea striata. Frédéric Manjary, Alain Petitjean, Jean-Yves C ...

'' * Trifolirhizin, found in '' Sophora flavescens''

References

External links

Superpathway of pterocarpan biosynthesis (via formononetin) on metacyc.org

Pterocarpans on the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database
{{Pterocarpan *Pterocarpans