Arctigenin 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 rol ...

found in certain

plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria to produce sugars f ...

of the

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

, including the greater burdock (''Arctium lappa'') and ''Saussurea heteromalla''. It has shown

antiviral Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials ...

and anticancer effects

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', or ''in the glass'') Research, studies are performed with Cell (biology), cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in ...

. It is the

aglycone An aglycone (aglycon or genin) is the chemical compound remaining after the glycosyl group on a glycoside is replaced by a hydrogen atom. For example, the aglycone of a cardiac glycoside would be a steroid A steroid is an organic compoun ...

arctiin Arctiin is a lignan found in many plants of the family Asteraceae, particularly the greater burdock (''Arctium lappa'') and ''Centaurea imperialis'', and in ''Trachelospermum asiaticum'', ''Saussurea heteromalla'', Retrieved on April 25, 2011. ...

. The use of arctigenin has been shown to be effective in a mouse model of

Japanese encephalitis Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). While most infections result in little or no symptoms, occasional inflammation of the brain occurs. In these cases, symptoms may include he ...

. It has been found to act as an

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...

adiponectin receptor 1 Adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''ADIPOR1'' gene. It is a member of the progestin and adipoQ receptor (PAQR) family, and is also known as PAQR1. Structure Similar to G protein-coupled receptors (G ...

(AdipoR1).

References

External links

Arctigenin
entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms Adiponectin receptor agonists Lignans O-methylated natural phenols Tetrahydrofurans Furanones {{antineoplastic-drug-stub