Elephantopin
Encyclopedia
Elephantopin is a natural chemical compound extracted from the Elephantopus elatus plant of the genus Elephantopus
, family Compositae. It is a sesquiterpene lactone
with a germacranolide
skeleton, containing two lactone
rings and an epoxide
functional group.
It has been shown to have an antitumor activity.
Elephantopus
Elephantopus is a genus of at least twelve species of perennials in the daisy family. Several species are native to the southeastern United States, and at least one is native to India and the Himalayas.- Uses :...
, family Compositae. It is a sesquiterpene lactone
Sesquiterpene lactone
Sesquiterpene lactones are a class of chemical compounds; they are sesquiterpenoids and contain a lactone ring, hence the name....
with a germacranolide
Germacranolide
Germacranolides are a group of natural chemical compounds classified as sesquiterpene lactones. They are found in a variety of plant sources....
skeleton, containing two lactone
Lactone
In chemistry, a lactone is a cyclic ester which can be seen as the condensation product of an alcohol group -OH and a carboxylic acid group -COOH in the same molecule...
rings and an epoxide
Epoxide
An epoxide is a cyclic ether with three ring atoms. This ring approximately defines an equilateral triangle, which makes it highly strained. The strained ring makes epoxides more reactive than other ethers. Simple epoxides are named from the parent compound ethylene oxide or oxirane, such as in...
functional group.
It has been shown to have an antitumor activity.