Hydroxy-''alpha''-sanshool is a molecule found in plants from the genus ''
Zanthoxylum
''Zanthoxylum'' is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and climbers in the family Rutaceae that are native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. It is the type genus of the tribe Zanthoxyleae in ...
''.
It is believed to be responsible for the
numbing and tingling sensation caused by eating food cooked with
Sichuan peppercorns and
Uzazi.
The term ''sanshool'' in the compound's name is derived from the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
term for the
Japanese pepper, (literally, mountain pepper), to which was appended the suffix ''-ol'', indicating an
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
.
Mechanism
The chemical structure of hydroxy-''alpha''-sanshool is similar to that of
capsaicin
Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burnin ...
, but the
mechanism of action
In pharmacology, the term mechanism of action (MOA) refers to the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces its pharmacological effect. A mechanism of action usually includes mention of the specific molecular targ ...
by which it induces nerve sensations has been a matter of debate. Although the compound is an agonist at the pain integration channels
TRPV1
The transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TrpV1), also known as the capsaicin receptor and the vanilloid receptor 1, is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''TRPV1'' gene. It was the first isolated member of th ...
and
TRPA1 like capsaicin, newer evidence suggests that the
tandem pore domain potassium channels
KCNK3,
KCNK9, and
KCNK18 are primarily responsible for sanshool's effects.
Hydroxy-alpha sanshool excites
D-hair afferent nerve fiber
Afferent nerve fibers are the axons (nerve fibers) carried by a sensory nerve that relay sensory information from sensory receptors to regions of the brain. Afferent projections ''arrive'' at a particular brain region. Efferent nerve fiber ...
s, a distinct subset of the sensitive
light touch receptors in the skin, and targets novel populations of Aβ and C-fiber nerve fibers.
Extraction
To isolate the molecule from the pepper in form of an extract, steam distillation can be used: Dried peels
of the fruit are immersed in a mixture of lower alcohols (for example ethanol) and water with a mass
percentage between 35% and 65% of the alcohol. The solution gets heated up in the process of steam
distillation where the aqueous part evaporates and takes parts of the hydroxy-alpha- sanshool up, too.
The distillate separates in two phases: the aqueous ethanol phase and the oil phase which contains the
desired molecule.
Steam distillation extraction methods demonstrate yields of approximately 60%.
See also
*
Spilanthol
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydroxy Alpha Sanshool
Fatty acid amides
Tertiary alcohols
Polyenes