Uvaricin
Encyclopedia
Uvaricin is a bis fatty acid lactone
that was first isolated in 1982 from the roots of Uvaria accuminata
. Uvaricin was the first in a class of compounds with potent anticancer activity known as acetogenins. Acetogenins, which are found in plants of the family Annonaceae
, seem to kill cells by inhibiting NADH dehydrogenase
in the mitochondrion
. A method to synthesize uvaricin was first published in 1998, and an improved stereoselective synthesis published in 2001.
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...
that was first isolated in 1982 from the roots of Uvaria accuminata
Annonaceae
Annonaceae, also called the custard apple familyis a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs or rarely lianas.With about 2300 to 2500 species and more than 130 genera,...
. Uvaricin was the first in a class of compounds with potent anticancer activity known as acetogenins. Acetogenins, which are found in plants of the family Annonaceae
Annonaceae
Annonaceae, also called the custard apple familyis a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs or rarely lianas.With about 2300 to 2500 species and more than 130 genera,...
, seem to kill cells by inhibiting NADH dehydrogenase
NADH dehydrogenase
NADH dehydrogenase is an enzyme located in the inner mitochondrial membrane that catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADH to coenzyme Q...
in the mitochondrion
Mitochondrion
In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. These organelles range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers in diameter...
. A method to synthesize uvaricin was first published in 1998, and an improved stereoselective synthesis published in 2001.