Acutissimin A is a
flavono-ellagitannin The Flavono-ellagitannins or complex tannins are a class of tannins formed from the complexation of an ellagitannin with a flavonoid. Flavono-ellagitannins can be found in '' Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata''.
Examples
* Acutissimin A
Acuti ...
, a type of tannin formed from the linking of a flavonoid with 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 ...
.
In 2003, scientists at Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie in
Pessac, France
Pessac (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a member of the metropolis of Bordeaux, being the second-largest suburb of Bordeaux and located just southwest of it. Pessac is also home to ...
found that when the oak tannin
vescalagin
Castalagin is an ellagitannin, a type of hydrolyzable tannin, found in oak and chestnut wood and in the stem barks of '' Anogeissus leiocarpus'' and ''Terminalia avicennoides''.
Castalagin is the diastereomer of vescalagin in C-1 of the glycosidi ...
interacts with a flavanoid in wine acutissimin A is created. In separate studies this
phenolic compound has been shown to be 250 times more effective than the pharmaceutical drug
Etoposide
Etoposide, sold under the brand name Vepesid among others, is a chemotherapy medication used for the treatments of a number of types of cancer including testicular cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, neuroblastoma, and ovarian cancer. It is ...
in stopping the growth of
cancerous
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
tumor
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
s.
See also
*
Phenolic compounds in wine
The phenolic content in wine refers to the phenolic compounds—natural phenol and polyphenols—in wine, which include a large group of several hundred chemical compounds that affect the taste, color and mouthfeel of wine. These compounds include ...
References
Flavono-ellagitannins
Antineoplastic drugs
Pyrogallols
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