Indirubin is a

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one ele ...

most often produced as a byproduct of bacterial metabolism. For instance, it is one of the compounds responsible for the generally benign condition purple urine bag syndrome, resulting from bacteria metabolizing indoxyl sulfate found naturally in urine. Indirubin is a structural isomer (more precisely is position isomer) of

indigo dye Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from the leaves of some plants of the ''Indigofera'' genus, in particular '' Indigofera tinctoria''; dye-bearing ''Indigofera'' p ...

Indigo naturalis

Indirubin is a chemical constituent of indigo naturalis (also known as qing dai ), which has been used since 627 AD in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logica ...

. It is essentially the indigo dye as traditionally extracted from plants by fermentation and lime treatment. The dye mixture contains a variety of organic compounds, indirubin and tryptanthrin being possible sources of some pharmacological actions. It is used in

realgar/Indigo naturalis Realgar/Indigo naturalis (RIF), also known as Compound Huangdai (), is a medication used to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia. Effectiveness appears similar to arsenic trioxide. It is generally used together with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) ...

, a medication for

acute promyelocytic leukemia Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML, APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the white blood cells. In APL, there is an abnormal accumulation of immature granulocytes called promyelocytes. The disease is characterized by a ...

Research

Indirubin exerts its effects on the human body by downregulating expression of genes. Genes

PLK1 Serine/threonine-protein kinase PLK1, also known as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK-1) or serine/threonine-protein kinase 13 (STPK13), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PLK1'' ( polo-like kinase 1) gene. Structure PLK1 consists of 603 am ...

and

PIN1 Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PIN1'' gene. Pin 1, or peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase), isomerizes only phospho-Serine/Threonine-Proline motifs. The enzyme bi ...

, both oncogenic, have been shown to be affected by indirubin. Indirubin has, ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'', been shown to reduce expression of the ''CDC25B'' gene, which codes for production of CDC25B enzyme. CDC stands for cell-division-cycle, and is used in cellular reproduction. Studies suggest that mouse cells are viable after the CDC25B (and ''

CDC25C M-phase inducer phosphatase 3 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''CDC25C'' gene. This gene is highly conserved during evolution and it plays a key role in the regulation of cell division. The encoded protein is a tyrosine phosphatase ...

'') genes are "knocked out", but removal of ''

CDC25A M-phase inducer phosphatase 1 also known as dual specificity phosphatase Cdc25A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the cell division cycle 25 homolog A (CDC25A) gene. Function CDC25A is a member of the CDC25 family of dual-specificity p ...

'' results in non-viable cells. Indirubin has not been shown to prevent or treat cancer in humans. However, it is being studied for treatment of

small-cell lung cancer Small-cell carcinoma is a type of highly malignant cancer that most commonly arises within the lung, although it can occasionally arise in other body sites, such as the cervix, prostate, and gastrointestinal tract. Compared to non-small cell ca ...

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality cha ...

, and

chronic myeloid leukemia Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also known as chronic myeloid leukemia, is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulat ...

, either alone or in conjunction with more typical cancer management treatments. It has also been studied for potential use in the treatment of

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood ( hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, an ...

, an immune-modulated disease process. Indirubin shows

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as ...

and anti-angiogenesis properties ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology and ...

''.

References

{{Aryl hydrocarbon receptor modulators Enones Lactams

Indigo naturalis

Research

See also

References