A xanthonoid is a chemical

natural phenol In biochemistry, naturally occurring phenols are natural products containing at least one phenol functional group. Phenolic compounds are produced by plants and microorganisms. Organisms sometimes synthesize phenolic compounds in response to ecol ...

ic compound formed from the

xanthone Xanthone is an organic compound with the molecular formula C13H8O2. It is a white solid. In 1939, xanthone was introduced as an insecticide and it currently finds uses as ovicide for codling moth eggs and as a larvicide. Xanthone is also use ...

backbone. Many members of the

Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family (biology), family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiacae are now placed in Calophyllaceae ...

contain xanthonoids. Xanthonoid biosynthesis in cell cultures of '' Hypericum androsaemum'' involves the presence of a benzophenone synthase condensing a molecule of

benzoyl-CoA Benzoyl-CoA is the thioester derived from benzoic acid and coenzyme A. The term benzoyl-CoA also include diverse conjugates of coenzyme A and aromatic carboxylic acids. Benzoate, vanillin, anthranilic acid, 4-ethylphenol, p-cresol, phenol, an ...

with three

malonyl-CoA Malonyl-CoA is a coenzyme A derivative of malonic acid. Biosynthesis Malonyl-CoA cannot cross membranes and there is no known malonyl-CoA import mechanism. The biosynthesis therefore takes place locally: * cytosol: Malonyl-CoA is formed by c ...

yielding to 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone. This intermediate is subsequently converted by a benzophenone 3′-hydroxylase, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, leading to the formation of 2,3′,4,6-tetrahydroxybenzophenone. Some examples are tomentonone, zeyloxanthonone and calozeyloxanthone isolated from the bark of ''

Calophyllum tomentosum ''Calophyllum tomentosum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Calophyllaceae, commonly known as bintangur. It is found in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically ...

'', apetalinone A, B, C and D from '' Calophyllum apetalum'', gaudichaudione A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, gaudichaudiic acid A, B, C, D, E, morellic acid and forbesione from '' Garcinia gaudichaudii'', methylswertianin and bellidifolin from ''

Swertia punicea ''Swertia punicea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Gentianaceae''. The xanthonoid A xanthonoid is a chemical natural phenolic compound formed from the xanthone backbone. Many members of the Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Gut ...

'' or psorospermin obtained from ''

Psorospermum febrifugum ''Psorospermum febrifugum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is found across tropical Africa in seasonally dry tropical biomes. French botanist Édouard Spach described ''Psorospermum febrifugum'' in 1836. Descript ...

''. Cassiaxanthone can be found in '' Cassia reticulata''.

Cytotoxic Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are toxic metals, toxic chemicals, microbe neurotoxins, radiation particles and even specific neurotransmitters when the system is out of balance. Also some types of dr ...

xanthones ( gambogin, morellin dimethyl acetal, isomoreollin B, moreollic acid, gambogenic acid, gambogenin, isogambogenin, desoxygambogenin, gambogenin dimethyl acetal, gambogellic acid,

gambogic acid Gambogic acid is a xanthonoid that is derived from the brownish or orange resin from '' Garcinia hanburyi''. '' Garcinia hanburyi'' is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree (up to approximately 15 m in height) with smooth grey bark. It is nat ...

, isomorellin, morellic acid, desoxymorellin and hanburin) can be isolated from the dry latex of ''

Garcinia hanburyi ''Garcinia hanburyi'' is a plant species in the genus ''Garcinia'', native to Indochina; it is one of the gamboge producing trees. Cytotoxic xanthonoids ( gambogin, morellin dimethyl acetal, isomoreollin B, moreollic acid, gambogenic acid, ...

'' (gamboge tree).Cytotoxic xanthones from Garcinia hanburyi. Jun Asano, Kazuhiro Chiba, Masahiro Tada and Takao Yoshii, Phytochemistry, Volume 41, Issue 3, February 1996, Pages 815-820,

References

{{xanthonoid Xanthonoids Secondary metabolites