Deoxygedunin, or 14,15-deoxygedunin, is a

tetranortriterpenoid The tetranortriterpenoid class of chemical compounds most noted for the chemical azadirachtin, extracted from the neem tree (''Azadirachta indica'') that displays insecticidal properties. Azadirachtin mimics insect hormones called ecdysones that reg ...

isolated from the '' Indian neem tree'' a plant that has been in traditional Indian medicine since ancient times as a remedy for various ailments.

Pharmacology

Deoxygedunin has been found to act as a potent, selective,

small-molecule Within the fields of molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Many drugs ar ...

agonist of

TrkB Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), also known as tyrosine receptor kinase B, or BDNF/NT-3 growth factors receptor or neurotrophic tyrosine kinase, receptor, type 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NTRK2'' gene. TrkB is a recepto ...

, the main

receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any structure which, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and responds to a ...

brain-derived neurotrophic factor Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), or abrineurin, is a protein found in the and the periphery. that, in humans, is encoded by the ''BDNF'' gene. BDNF is a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors, which are related to the canon ...

(BDNF). It produces TrkB-dependent

neurotrophic Neurotrophic factors (NTFs) are a family of biomolecules – nearly all of which are peptides or small proteins – that support the growth, survival, and differentiation of both developing and mature neurons. Most NTFs exert their tro ...

and

neuroprotective Neuroprotection refers to the relative preservation of neuronal structure and/or function. In the case of an ongoing insult (a neurodegenerative insult) the relative preservation of neuronal integrity implies a reduction in the rate of neuronal los ...

effects in mice and enhances learning processes. In addition, deoxygedunin evokes rapid TrkB-dependent antidepressant-like effects in the

forced swim test The behavioural despair test (or Porsolt forced swimming test) is a test, centered on a rodent's response to the threat of drowning, whose result has been interpreted as measuring susceptibility to negative mood. It is commonly used to measure the ...

, an

animal model An animal model (short for animal disease model) is a living, non-human, often genetic-engineered animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease process without the risk of ha ...

of depression, similarly to

7,8-dihydroxyflavone Tropoflavin, also known as 7,8-dihydroxyflavone, is a naturally occurring flavone found in ''Godmania aesculifolia'', ''Tridax procumbens'', and primula tree leaves. It has been found to act as a potent and selective small-molecule agonist of t ...

(7,8-DHF) and

ketamine Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a recreational drug. It is one of the safest anesthetics, as, in contrast with opiates, ether, and propofol, it suppresses ...

, and notably with a greater potency than 7,8-DHF. The compound was discovered by the same group that identified 7,8-DHF and N-acetylserotonin as TrkB agonists.

Research

With

intraperitoneal injection Intraperitoneal injection or IP injection is the injection of a substance into the peritoneum (body cavity). It is more often applied to animals than to humans. In general, it is preferred when large amounts of blood replacement fluids are needed ...

to mice, deoxygedunin crosses the blood-brain-barrier into the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

and possesses a long duration of action, with onset of action at 2 hours post-administration and peaking between 4–8 hours. Relative to 7,8-DHF, deoxygedunin has weaker binding

affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Par ...

for TrkB (K_d = 1.4 μM). However, it is more potent than 7,8-DHF ''in vivo'' with

in multiple assays. Deoxygedunin has also been found to be orally and

topically A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

active. The compound, in contrast to 7,8-DHF, has poor

water solubility An aqueous solution is a solution in which the solvent is water. It is mostly shown in chemical equations by appending (aq) to the relevant chemical formula. For example, a solution of table salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), in water would be rep ...

, and hence its

bioavailability In pharmacology, bioavailability is a subcategory of absorption and is the fraction (%) of an administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation. By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%. Ho ...

, especially oral, may be suboptimal. The researchers who discovered deoxygedunin expressed that they were attempting to find analogues with improved water solubility that retained the biological activity of deoxygedunin, but, as of 2016, there appear to have been no subsequent reports on this effort since the original paper (2010) was published. They also stated in the paper that 7,8-DHF has a simpler

chemical structure A chemical structure determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of ...

and that the flavonoids were easier to modify for improved biological effects than the gedunins. Similarly to gedunin, a closely structurally related compound also found in ''Azadirachta indica'', deoxygedunin has additionally been found to activate

HSF1 Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''HSF1'' gene. HSF1 is highly conserved in eukaryotes and is the primary mediator of transcriptional responses to proteotoxic stress with important roles in non-stress regul ...

and induce

Hsp70 The 70 kilodalton heat shock proteins (Hsp70s or DnaK) are a family of conserved ubiquitously expressed heat shock proteins. Proteins with similar structure exist in virtually all living organisms. Intracellularly localized Hsp70s are an import ...

, and was observed to possess

effects in a model of

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an uns ...

References

{{Growth factor receptor modulators Acetate esters Antidepressants 3-Furyl compounds Neuroprotective agents Nootropics Triterpenes TrkB agonists

Pharmacology

Research

See also

References