Nepetalactol is an
iridoid
Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mo ...
. It is produced from
8-oxogeranial by the enzyme
iridoid synthase
Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mos ...
. Nepetalactol is a substrate for the enzyme
iridoid oxidase (IO) which produces
7-deoxyloganetic acid. It has been identified in ''
Actinidia polygama
''Actinidia polygama'' (also known as silver vine, matatabi and cat powder) is a species of kiwifruit in the family Actinidiaceae. It grows in the mountainous areas of Korea, Japan and China at elevations between .
Name
In Korean, ''A. polyga ...
'' (the silver vine) as a major
cat attractant
A cat pheromone is a chemical molecule, or compound, that is used by cats and other felidae, felids for communication. These pheromones are produced and detected specifically by the body systems of cats and evoke certain behavioural responses.
Cat ...
, and a mosquito repellent. The fact that mosquitos bite cats with nepetalactol on their fur less often may explain why cats are attracted to silver vine in the first place.
References
{{Reflist
Iridoids
Cyclopentanes