Periplocin is a plant-derived

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

whereby the sugar moiety is linked to a

steroid A steroid is an organic compound with four fused compound, fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes t ...

. It can be extracted from cortex periplocae (CPP), the dry root of '' Periploca sepium''. CPP's healing activities have long been recognized 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 ...

where it has been used to treat

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

. Scientific studies of CPP have identified over 100 components of which periplocin has been a major focus both for its toxicity as well as for its potential beneficial pharmaceutical effects. Besides the cardiac glycosides with periplocin as its main constituent, the CPP contains different C21-steroidal glycosides such as periplocodides and

pregnene A pregnene is an alkene derivative of a pregnane. An example is cortisone. Image:Cortison.svg, Cortisone Image:Ethisterone.png, Ethisterone Image:Spironolacton.svg, Spironolactone References See also * Pregnanes Pregnane, also known as ...

derivatives,

fatty acid In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated and unsaturated compounds#Organic chemistry, saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an ...

volatile oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

terpene Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n ≥ 2. Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predomi ...

s, and others. Higher doses of periplocin are toxic as a

cardiac glycoside Cardiac glycosides are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump. Their beneficial medical uses include treatments for ...

. Potential medical applications of periplocin are focused on these areas: * Anti-inflammatory effects. Periplocin and its derivatives have shown anti-inflammatory effects. * Antitumor activity. A number of in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that periplocin inhibits tumor growth. Studies show both inhibition of growth as well as induction of

apoptosis Apoptosis (from ) is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms and in some eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms such as yeast. Biochemistry, Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (Morphology (biol ...

. * Cardiotonic activity. Traditional use includes an application for heart failure. Structure and function of cardiac muscle were improved in rats. Periplocin's metabolites, periplocymarin and periplogenin, have also shown some pharmacological effects. Potential senolytic activity was suggested by an AI structural analysis of over 4,000 chemicals in 2013.

References

{{Reflist Plant toxins Cardiac glycosides Steroids