Amarogentin is a chemical compound found in gentian (''
Gentiana lutea'') or in ''
Swertia chirata''.
Gentian root has a long history of use as a herbal bitter in the treatment of digestive disorders and is an ingredient of many proprietary medicines. The bitter principles of gentian root are
secoiridoid glycosides amarogentin and
gentiopicrin. The former is one of the most
bitter
Bitter may refer to:
Common uses
* Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience
* Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes
Books
* ''Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 novel ...
natural compounds known and is used as a scientific basis for measuring bitterness. In humans, it activates the bitter
taste receptor TAS2R50. The biphenylcarboxylic acid moiety is biosynthesized by a
polyketide-type pathway, with three units of
acetyl-CoA
Acetyl-CoA (acetyl coenzyme A) is a molecule that participates in many biochemical reactions in protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Its main function is to deliver the acetyl group to the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to be oxidized for ...
and one unit of
3-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA
3-Hydroxybenzoyl-CoA is a molecule formed by condensing the thiol group of coenzyme A (CoA) with the carboxylic acid group of 3-hydroxybenzoic acid. Stable in acidic conditions, it is a tetraprotic acid due to the pyrophosphate and phosphate grou ...
, this being formed from an early
shikimate pathway intermediate and not via cinnamic or benzoic acid.
It also shows an
antileishmanial
Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus '' Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' and ''Lutzomyia'', and occurs most fre ...
activity in
animal models being an
inhibitor of topoisomerase I
Topoisomerase inhibitors are chemical compounds that block the action of topoisomerases, which are broken into two broad subtypes: type I topoisomerases (TopI) and type II topoisomerases (TopII). Topoisomerase plays important roles in cellular repr ...
.
References
{{reflist, 2
Bitter compounds
Iridoid glycosides
Topoisomerase inhibitors