Astilbin is a

flavanonol The flavanonols (with two "o"s a.k.a. 3-hydroxyflavanone or 2,3-dihydroflavonol) are a class of flavonoids that use the 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-2-phenylchromen-4-one (IUPAC name) backbone. Some examples include: * Taxifolin (or Dihydroquercetin) * ...

, a type of flavonoid. Astilbin is the (2R-trans)-isomer; neoisoastilbin is the (2S-cis)-isomer and isoastilbin is the (2R-cis)-isomer.Astilbin on PubChem
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Natural occurrences

Astilbin can be found in

St John's wort ''Hypericum perforatum'', commonly known as St. John's wort (sometimes perforate St. John's wort or common St. John's wort), is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a hairless, perennial herb with woody roots, yellow flowers ma ...

(''Hypericum perforatum'', Clusiaceae, subfamily Hypericoideae, formerly often considered a full family Hypericaceae), in ''

Dimorphandra mollis ''Dimorphandra mollis'', the Fava d'anta, is a tree species in the genus of '' Dimorphandra''. It is a plant of the Cerrado vegetation of Brazil. The seeds are known to be toxic to cattle. Fava d'anta contains astilbin, rutin and quercetin Qu ...

''Biological activity of astilbin from Dimorphandra mollis against Anticarsia gemmatalis and Spodoptera frugiperda, Luciane G Batista Pereira, Fernando Petacci, João B Fernandes, Arlene G Corrêa, Paulo C Vieira 1, M Fátima G F da Silva, Osmar Malaspina, 2002
/ref> (Fava d'anta, Fabaceae), in the leaves of ''

Harungana madagascariensis ''Harungana madagascariensis'' is a flowering plant found in Madagascar that is commonly known as the dragon's blood tree, orange-milk tree or haronga. Description The haronga is a small, bushy tree that usually ranges from 4 m to 7 ...

'' (Hypericaceae),Isolation and in vitro antibacterial activity of astilbin, the bioactive flavanone from the leaves of Harungana madagascariensis Lam. ex Poir. (Hypericaceae), B. Moulari, Y. Pellequer, H. Lboutounne, C. Girard, J.-P. Chaumont, J. Millet and F. Muyard
in the rhizome of ''

Astilbe thunbergii ''Astilbe thunbergii'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Astilbe'', native to Japan. Its hybrid cultivar 'Straussenfeder' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long ...

'',Effects of Astilbe thunbergii rhizomes on wound healing: Part 1. Isolation of promotional effectors from Astilbe thunbergii rhizomes on burn wound healing, Yoshiyuki Kimura, Maho Sumiyoshi and Masahiro Sakanaka, 2006
/ref> in the root of ''

Astilbe odontophylla ''Astilbe'' is a genus of 18 species of rhizomatous flowering plants within the family Saxifragaceae, native to mountain ravines and woodlands in Asia and North America. Some species are known by the common names false goat's beard and false spi ...

''First synthesis of astilbin, biologically active glycosyl flavonoid isolated from Chinese folk medicine, Ken Ohmori, Hiroki Ohrui and Keisuke Suzuki, 2000
/ref> (Saxifragaceae), in the rhizome of ''

Smilax glabra ''Smilax glabra'', sarsaparilla, is a plant species in the genus ''Smilax''. It is native to flora of China, China, the Himalayas, and Indochina. ''S. glabra'' is a traditional Chinese medicine, traditional medicine in Chinese herbology, whence ...

'' (Chinaroot, Smilacaceae) and in the bark of ''

Hymenaea martiana ''Hymenaea martiana'' is a tree species in the genus '' Hymenaea'' found in Brazil (Alagoas, Bahia, Ceara, Goias, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco) and Paraguay. Chemicals The three rhamnosides eucryphin, astilbin Astilbin is a flavanono ...

''. ; In food It can be isolated from

Kohki tea Kohki tea (黄杞茶) or ''Huang Qi Tea'' is a Chinese/Japanese herbal drink very high in antioxidant activity. Kohki tea has been sold over the counter for centuries and is standardized to contain astilbin and taxifolin. Astilbin Astilbin is ...

processed from ''

Engelhardtia chrysolepis ''Engelhardia roxburghiana'' is a tree in the family Juglandaceae. It is named for the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh. Description ''Engelhardia roxburghiana'' grows as a tree measuring up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark i ...

'' (huang-qui). It is also present in certain wines.Levels of Stilbene Oligomers and Astilbin in French Varietal Wines and in Grapes during Noble Rot Development, Nicolas Landrault, Fabienne Larronde, Jean-Claude Delaunay, Chantal Castagnino, Joseph Vercauteren, Jean-Michel Merillon, Francis Gasc, Gérard Cros and Pierre-Louis Teissedre, J. Agric. Food Chem., 2002, 50 (7), pages 2046–2052,

Uses

Astilbin can act as an insecticide against ''

Anticarsia gemmatalis ''Anticarsia gemmatalis'' is a tropical species of caterpillar and moth that migrates north each season. The species can commonly be found in the Gulf states, north as far as Wisconsin. The adults have wings that are grayish brown, crossed with ...

'' and ''

Spodoptera frugiperda The fall armyworm (''Spodoptera frugiperda'') is a species in the order Lepidoptera and one of the species of the fall armyworm moths distinguished by their larval life stage. The term "armyworm" can refer to several species, often describing the ...

''. It shows ''in vitro'' antibacterial activity and activity on burn wound healing. Astilbin is used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

Related compounds

3'-O-Methylastilbin shows an immunosuppressive activity against

contact dermatitis Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis can include itchy or dry skin, a red rash, bumps, blisters, or swelling. These rashes ...

References

{{Flavanonol Flavanonol glycosides Flavonoid rhamnosides