Bakuchiol is a
meroterpenoid A meroterpene (or meroterpenoid) is a chemical compound having a partial terpenoid structure.
Examples Terpenophenolics
Terpenophenolics are compounds that are part terpenes, part natural phenols.
Plants in the genus ''Humulus'' and ''Cannabi ...
(a chemical compound having a partial terpenoid structure) in the class terpenophenol.
It was first isolated in 1966 by Mehta et al. from ''
Psoralea corylifolia
''Cullen corylifolium'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Psoralea corylifolia'', (babchi) is a plant used in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine. The seeds of this plant contain a variety of coumarins, including psoralen.
Used as a dietary sup ...
'' seed and was called Bakuchiol based on the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
name of the plant, Bakuchi. Bakuchiol is a meroterpene phenol abundant in and mainly obtained from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant,
which is widely used in Indian
Ayurveda
Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...
to treat a variety of diseases. It has also been isolated from other plants, such as P. grandulosa, P. drupaceae,
Ulmus davidiana,
Otholobium pubescens,
Piper longum
Long pepper (''Piper longum''), sometimes called Indian long pepper or ''pippali'', is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. Long pepper has a taste simil ...
and Aerva sangulnolenta Blum.
Even though the first complete synthesis of Bakuchiol was described in 1973, its first commercial use in topical applications did not occur until 2007 when it was introduced to the market under the trade name Sytenol A by Sytheon Ltd.
It has been reported to have anticancer activity in
preclinical models, possibly due to its structural similarity with
resveratrol
Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-''trans''-stilbene) is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol or polyphenol and a phytoalexin produced by several plants in response to injury or when the plant is under attack by pathogens, such as bacterium, ba ...
. One study in rats suggested that Bakuchiol and ethanol extracts of the Chinese medicinal plant ''Psoralea corylifolia'' could protect against
bone loss
Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in fracture risk.
It is the most common reason for a broken bon ...
.
Bakuchiol possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory (in mice), and in vitro antibacterial properties. Bakuchiol isolated from ''P. corylifolia'' has shown activity against numerous Gram-positive and Gram-negative oral pathogens. It was able to inhibit the growth of ''
Streptococcus mutans
''Streptococcus mutans'' is a Facultative anaerobic organism, facultatively anaerobic, gram-positive coccus (round bacteria, bacterium) commonly found in the human oral cavity and is a significant contributor to dental caries, tooth decay.
The m ...
'' under a range of
sucrose
Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula .
For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...
concentrations,
pH values and in the presence of organic acids in a temperature-dependent manner and also inhibited the growth of cells adhered to a glass surface.
Despite having no structural resemblance to
retinol
Retinol, also called vitamin A1, is a fat-soluble vitamin in the vitamin A family that is found in food and used as a dietary supplement. Retinol or other forms of vitamin A are needed for vision, cellular development, maintenance of skin and ...
, Bakuchiol was found to have retinol functionality through retinol-like regulation of gene expression.
In 2018, a randomized,
double-blind
In a blind or blinded experiment, information which may influence the participants of the experiment is withheld until after the experiment is complete. Good blinding can reduce or eliminate experimental biases that arise from a participants' expec ...
, 12-week clinical study with 44 volunteers demonstrated that Bakuchiol is comparable with retinol in its ability to improve photoaging (wrinkles, hyperpigmentation) but has a better skin tolerance.
Bakuchiol has been found to possess
antiandrogen
Antiandrogens, also known as androgen antagonists or testosterone blockers, are a class of drugs that prevent androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking t ...
ic activity in prostate
cancer cell
Cancer cells are cells that divide continually, forming solid tumors or flooding the blood or lymph with abnormal cells. Cell division is a normal process used by the body for growth and repair. A parent cell divides to form two daughter cells, an ...
s, which inhibited
cell proliferation
Cell proliferation is the process by which ''a cell grows and divides to produce two daughter cells''. Cell proliferation leads to an exponential increase in cell number and is therefore a rapid mechanism of tissue growth. Cell proliferation ...
.
[ original title: 补骨脂酚拮抗AR转录活性抑制雄激素诱导的前列腺癌细胞LNCaP的增殖]
See also
*
Drupanol
References
External links
bakuchiol
{{Androgen receptor modulators
Nonsteroidal antiandrogens
Terpeno-phenolic compounds
4-Hydroxyphenyl compounds