Punicalagin is an

ellagitannin The ellagitannins are a diverse class of hydrolyzable tannins, a type of polyphenol formed primarily from the oxidative linkage of galloyl groups in 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl glucose. Ellagitannins differ from gallotannins, in that their galloyl group ...

, a type of

phenolic compound In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of one or more hydroxyl groups (— O H) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest is phenol, . Phenolic compounds are c ...

. It is found as alpha and beta isomers in

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

s (''Punica granatum''), ''

Terminalia catappa ''Terminalia catappa'' is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almon ...

'', ''

Terminalia myriocarpa ''Terminalia myriocarpa'', the East Indian almond, is a tree species in the genus '' Terminalia'' found in Southeast Asia. Ecology The larvae of the moth '' Acrocercops terminaliae'' feed on ''T. myriocarpa''. Chemistry The phenolic compounds ...

'', and in ''

Combretum molle ''Combretum molle'', the velvet bushwillow, is a medium to large tree species in the genus ''Combretum'' found in western, eastern and southern Africa. The larvae of '' Parosmodes morantii'' and '' Acalyptris molleivora'' feed on ''C. molle''. ...

'', the velvet bushwillow, a plant species found in South Africa. These three genera are all

Myrtales The Myrtales are an order of flowering plants placed as a sister to the eurosids II clade as of the publishing of the ''Eucalyptus grandis'' genome in June 2014. The APG III system of classification for angiosperms still places it within the eur ...

and the last two are both

Combretaceae The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combre ...

Research

Punicalagins are water-soluble and

hydrolyze Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolysis ...

into smaller phenolic compounds, such as

ellagic acid Ellagic acid is a polyphenol found in numerous fruits and vegetables. It is the dilactone of hexahydroxydiphenic acid. Name The name comes from the French term ''acide ellagique'', from the word ''galle'' spelled backwards because it can be ob ...

. There were no toxic effects in rats on a 6% diet of punicalagins for 37 days. In laboratory research, punicalagins had

carbonic anhydrase inhibitor Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are a class of pharmaceuticals that suppress the activity of carbonic anhydrase. Their clinical use has been established as anti-glaucoma agents, diuretics, antiepileptics, in the management of mountain sickness, ...

activity.

References

{{pomegranate ellagitannin Pomegranate ellagitannins Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors