Necatorin is a highly
mutagenic
In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer in ...
chemical compound with the molecular formula . It is found in some mushrooms including ''
Lactarius necator'' (ugly milk-cap), from which it was first isolated and characterized. It tests positive in the
Ames test
The Ames test is a widely employed method that uses bacteria to test whether a given chemical can cause mutations in the DNA of the test organism. More formally, it is a bioassay, biological assay to assess the mutagenic potential of chemical com ...
, an assay for mutagenicity. Crude extracts of ''L. necator'' are also highly mutagenic in a bacterial test system, and this effect it attributed to necatorin.
Necatorin is present in ''L. necator'' at concentrations of 3 to 20 mg/kg, and
blanching the mushroom can reduce it to about 25% of its original amount.
In boiling water, the chemical compound is stable except under acidic conditions (pH = 5).
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References
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Mutagens
Lactones
Alkaloids
Heterocyclic compounds with 4 rings
Cinnolines
Chromanes
Phenols