Astilbin is a
flavanonol, a type of flavonoid. Astilbin is the (2R-trans)-isomer; neoisoastilbin is the (2S-cis)-isomer and isoastilbin is the (2R-cis)-isomer.
[Astilbin on PubChem](_blank)
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Natural occurrences
Astilbin can be found in St John's wort (''Hypericum perforatum'', Clusiaceae, subfamily Hypericoideae, formerly often considered a full family Hypericaceae), in '' Dimorphandra mollis''[Biological activity of astilbin from Dimorphandra mollis against Anticarsia gemmatalis and Spodoptera frugiperda, Luciane G Batista Pereira, Fernando Petacci, João B Fernandes, Arlene G Corrêa, Paulo C Vieira 1, M Fátima G F da Silva, Osmar Malaspina, 2002](_blank)
/ref> (Fava d'anta, Fabaceae), in the leaves of '' Harungana madagascariensis'' (Hypericaceae),[Isolation and in vitro antibacterial activity of astilbin, the bioactive flavanone from the leaves of Harungana madagascariensis Lam. ex Poir. (Hypericaceae), B. Moulari, Y. Pellequer, H. Lboutounne, C. Girard, J.-P. Chaumont, J. Millet and F. Muyard](_blank)
in the rhizome of '' Astilbe thunbergii'',[Effects of Astilbe thunbergii rhizomes on wound healing: Part 1. Isolation of promotional effectors from Astilbe thunbergii rhizomes on burn wound healing, Yoshiyuki Kimura, Maho Sumiyoshi and Masahiro Sakanaka, 2006](_blank)
/ref> in the root of '' Astilbe odontophylla''[First synthesis of astilbin, biologically active glycosyl flavonoid isolated from Chinese folk medicine, Ken Ohmori, Hiroki Ohrui and Keisuke Suzuki, 2000](_blank)
/ref> (Saxifragaceae), in the rhizome of ''Smilax glabra
''Smilax glabra'', sarsaparilla, is a plant species in the genus ''Smilax''. It is native to flora of China, China, the Himalayas, and Indochina.
''S. glabra'' is a traditional Chinese medicine, traditional medicine in Chinese herbology, whence ...
'' (Chinaroot, Smilacaceae) and in the bark of '' Hymenaea martiana''.
; In food
It can be isolated from Kohki tea processed from '' Engelhardtia chrysolepis'' (huang-qui). It is also present in certain wines.[Levels of Stilbene Oligomers and Astilbin in French Varietal Wines and in Grapes during Noble Rot Development, Nicolas Landrault, Fabienne Larronde, Jean-Claude Delaunay, Chantal Castagnino, Joseph Vercauteren, Jean-Michel Merillon, Francis Gasc, Gérard Cros and Pierre-Louis Teissedre, J. Agric. Food Chem., 2002, 50 (7), pages 2046–2052, ]
Uses
Astilbin can act as an insecticide against '' Anticarsia gemmatalis'' and ''Spodoptera frugiperda
The fall armyworm (''Spodoptera frugiperda'') is a species in the order Lepidoptera and one of the species of the fall armyworm moths distinguished by their larval life stage. The term "armyworm" can refer to several species, often describing the ...
''. It shows ''in vitro'' antibacterial activity and activity on burn wound healing. Astilbin is used in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...
.
Related compounds
3'-O-Methylastilbin shows an immunosuppressive activity against contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis can include itchy or dry skin, a red rash, bumps, blisters, or swelling. These rashes ...
.
References
{{Flavanonol
Flavanonol glycosides
Flavonoid rhamnosides