Thelephoric acid is a terphenylquinone

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

that is found in several

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

, such as '' Omphalotus subilludens'' and ''

Polyozellus multiplex ''Polyozellus multiplex'' is a species of fungus first described in 1899, and is commonly known as the blue chanterelle, the clustered blue chanterelle, or, in Alaska, the black chanterelle. The distinctive fruit body of this species comprise ...

''. Thelephoric acid has been shown to

inhibit Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to: In biology * Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity * Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotra ...

prolyl endopeptidase Prolyl endopeptidase (PE) also known as prolyl oligopeptidase or post-proline cleaving enzyme is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PREP'' gene. Function Prolyl endopeptidase is a large cytosolic enzyme that belongs to a distinct cla ...

, an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that has a role in processing proteins (specifically,

amyloid precursor protein Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is an integral membrane protein expressed in many biological tissue, tissues and concentrated in the synapses of neurons. It functions as a cell surface receptor and has been implicated as a regulator ...

) in

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. Chemicals that inhibit prolyl endopeptidase have attracted research interest due to their potential therapeutic effects. It is derived from

atromentin Atromentin is a natural chemical compound found in Agaricomycetes fungi in the orders Agaricales and Thelephorales. It can also be prepared by laboratory synthesis. Chemically, it is a polyphenol and a benzoquinone. Occurrences Atromentin has ...

, and its precursor can be from cyclovariegatin. Fragmentation patterns have suggested that polymers of thelephoric acid exists.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{Cite journal , vauthors=Hwang JS, Song KS, Kim WG, Lee TH, Koshino H, Yoo ID , title=Polyozellin, a new inhibitor of prolyl endopeptidase from ''Polyozellus multiplex'' , journal=The Journal of Antibiotics , volume=50 , issue=9 , pages=773–77 , year=1997 , pmid=9360624 , doi=10.7164/antibiotics.50.773, doi-access=free {{Cite journal , vauthors=Ju-Yeon K, ((Rhee I-K)), ((Lee K-B)), ((Hwang J-S)), ((Yoo I-D)), ((Song K-S)) , year=1999 , title=Thelephoric acid and kynapcin-9 in mushroom ''Polyozellus multiflex'' inhibit prolyl endopeptidase ''in vitro'' , journal=Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology , volume=9 , issue=6 , pages=798–803 {{Cite journal , vauthors=Nagasawa I, Kaneko A, Suzuki T, Nishio K, Kinoshita K, Shiro M, Koyama K , title=Potential anti-angiogenesis effects of ''p''-terphenyl compounds from ''Polyozellus multiplex'' , journal=Journal of Natural Products , year=2014 , volume=77 , issue=4 , pages=963–8 , doi=10.1021/np401046z , pmid=24601669 {{Cite journal , vauthors=Sullivan G, Garrett RD, Lenehan RF , year=1971 , title=Occurrence of atromentin and thelephoric acid in cultures of ''Clitocybe subilludens'' , journal=Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences , volume=60 , issue=11 , pages=1727–29 , doi=10.1002/jps.2600601134 , pmid=4332377 Tetrols Quinones Hydrolase inhibitors Catechols Dibenzofurans Benzofuran ethers at the benzene ring Heterocyclic compounds with 5 rings Vinylogous carboxylic acids Aromatic ketones