
A xanthonoid is a chemical
natural phenolic compound formed from the
xanthone
Xanthone is an organic compound with the molecular formula C13H8O2. It is a white solid.
In 1939, xanthone was introduced as an insecticide and it currently finds uses as ovicide for codling moth eggs and as a larvicide. Xanthone is also use ...
backbone. Many members of the
Clusiaceae
The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family (biology), family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiacae are now placed in Calophyllaceae ...
contain xanthonoids.
Xanthonoid biosynthesis in cell cultures of ''
Hypericum androsaemum'' involves the presence of a
benzophenone synthase condensing a molecule of
benzoyl-CoA with three
malonyl-CoA yielding to
2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone. This intermediate is subsequently converted by a
benzophenone 3′-hydroxylase, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, leading to the formation of
2,3′,4,6-tetrahydroxybenzophenone.
Some examples are
tomentonone,
zeyloxanthonone and
calozeyloxanthone isolated from the bark of ''
Calophyllum tomentosum'',
apetalinone A,
B,
C and
D from ''
Calophyllum apetalum'',
gaudichaudione A,
B,
C,
D,
E,
F,
G,
H,
gaudichaudiic acid A,
B,
C,
D,
E,
morellic acid and
forbesione from ''
Garcinia gaudichaudii'',
methylswertianin and
bellidifolin from ''
Swertia punicea'' or
psorospermin obtained from ''
Psorospermum febrifugum''.
Cassiaxanthone can be found in ''
Cassia reticulata''.
Cytotoxic xanthones (
gambogin,
morellin dimethyl acetal,
isomoreollin B,
moreollic acid,
gambogenic acid,
gambogenin,
isogambogenin,
desoxygambogenin,
gambogenin dimethyl acetal,
gambogellic acid,
gambogic acid,
isomorellin, morellic acid,
desoxymorellin and
hanburin) can be isolated from the dry latex of ''
Garcinia hanburyi'' (gamboge tree).
[Cytotoxic xanthones from Garcinia hanburyi. Jun Asano, Kazuhiro Chiba, Masahiro Tada and Takao Yoshii, Phytochemistry, Volume 41, Issue 3, February 1996, Pages 815-820, ]
References
{{xanthonoid
Xanthonoids
Secondary metabolites