Sesamin is a

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a role ...

isolated from the bark of ''

Fagara ''Zanthoxylum'' is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and climbers in the family Rutaceae that are native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. It is the type genus of the tribe Zanthoxyleae i ...

'' plants and from

sesame oil Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. O ...

. It has been used as a dietary fat-reduction supplement. Its major metabolite is

enterolactone Enterolactone is a organic compound classified as an enterolignan. It is formed by the action of intestinal bacteria on plant lignan precursors present in the diet. Sources Many dietary plant lignan precursors, such as secoisolariciresinol, mat ...

, which has an elimination half life of less than 6 hours. Sesamin and

sesamolin Sesamolin is a lignan isolated from sesame oil. Sesamin Sesamin is a lignan isolated from the bark of ''Fagara'' plants and from sesame oil Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-k ...

are minor components of sesame oil, on average comprising only 0.14% of the oil by mass.

References

{{Xenobiotic-sensing receptor modulators CYP3A4 inhibitors Phenol antioxidants Lignans Benzodioxoles Sesame

See also

References