The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeably with "terpenes", terpenoids contain additional functional groups, usually containing oxygen. When combined with the hydrocarbon terpenes, terpenoids comprise about 80,000 compounds. They are the largest class of plant secondary metabolites, representing about 60% of known natural products. Many terpenoids have substantial pharmacological bioactivity and are therefore of interest to medicinal chemists.
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered.
Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with designing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and development of new chemical entities suitable for therapeutic use. It also includes the study of existing drugs, their biological properties, and their quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR).
The genus Thymus contains about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World.
Chalcone is the organic compound C6H5C(O)CH=CHC6H5. It is an α,β-unsaturated ketone. A variety of important biological compounds are known collectively as chalcones or chalconoids. They are widely known bioactive substances, fluorescent materials, and chemical intermediates.
The Hymenochaetales are an order of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes. The order in its current sense is based on molecular research and not on any unifying morphological characteristics. According to one 2008 estimate, the Hymenochaetales contain around 600 species worldwide, mostly corticioid fungi and poroid fungi, but also including several clavarioid fungi and agarics. Species of economic importance include wood decay fungi in the genera Phellinus and Inonotus sensu lato, some of which may cause losses in forestry. Therapeutic properties are claimed for Inonotus obliquus ("chaga") and Phellinus linteus, both of which are now commercially marketed.
Ellagic acid is a polyphenol found in numerous fruits and vegetables. It is the dilactone of hexahydroxydiphenic acid.
Laricifomes officinalis, also known as agarikon, eburiko, or the quinine conk, is a wood-decay fungus that causes brown heart rot on conifers native to Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as Morocco. This fungus is the only member of the genus Laricifomes, in the order Polyporales. The fruiting bodies grow in large conks on the trunks of trees.
Fuscoporia gilva, commonly known as the oak conk, is a species of fungal plant pathogen which infects several hosts.
Meshimakobu and sanghuang / sanghwang, also known as mesima (English) or black hoof mushroom, is a mushroom in East Asia.
Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a dihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid. It is a major metabolite of antioxidant polyphenols found in green tea. It has mixed effects on normal and cancer cells in in vitro and in vivo studies. It is produced commercially from vanillin.
Phellinus is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. Many species cause white rot. Fruit bodies, which are found growing on wood, are resupinate, sessile, and perennial. The flesh is tough and woody or cork-like, and brown in color. Clamp connections are absent, and the skeletal hyphae are yellowish-brown.
In organic chemistry, diazirines are a class of organic molecules consisting of a carbon bound to two nitrogen atoms, which are double-bonded to each other, forming a cyclopropene-like ring, 3H-diazirine. They are isomeric with diazocarbon groups, and like them can serve as precursors for carbenes by loss of a molecule of dinitrogen. For example, irradiation of diazirines with ultraviolet light leads to carbene insertion into various C−H, N−H, and O−H bonds. Hence, diazirines have grown in popularity as small, photo-reactive, crosslinking reagents. They are often used in photoaffinity labeling studies to observe a variety of interactions, including ligand-receptor, ligand-enzyme, protein-protein, and protein-nucleic acid interactions.
Hispidin is a natural substance. It can also be synthesized.
Phellinus ellipsoideus is a species of polypore fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae, a specimen of which produced the largest fungal fruit body ever recorded. Found in China, the fruit bodies produced by the species are brown, woody basidiocarps that grow on dead wood, where the fungus feeds as a saprotroph. The basidiocarps are perennial, allowing them to grow very large under favourable circumstances. They are resupinate, measuring 30 centimetres (12 in) or more in length, though typically extending less than a centimetre from the surface of the wood. P. ellipsoideus produces distinct ellipsoidal spores, after which it is named, and unusual setae. These two features allow it to be readily differentiated microscopically from other, similar species. Chemical compounds isolated from the species include several steroidal compounds. These may have pharmacological applications, but further research is needed.
Methyl halide transferase is an enzyme with systematic name S-adenosylmethionine:iodide methyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Stevensine is a bromopyrrole alkaloid originally isolated from an unidentified Micronesian marine sponge, as well as the known sponge species, Pseudaxinyssa cantharella and Axinella corrugata. Total synthesis of stevensine has been achieved by Ying-zi Xu et al., and investigations into the biosynthetic origin has been explored by Paul Andrade et al. Understanding methods to synthesize stevensine and other similar compounds is an important step to accomplish, as marine sponges contain numerous biologically active metabolites that have been shown to function as anything from antitumor to antibacterial agents when tested for medicinal applications. Reasons for why marine sponges contain so many bio-active chemicals has been attributed to their sessile nature, and the need to produce chemical defenses to ensure survival. However, since many of these compounds naturally occur in small amounts, harvesting the sponges has in the past led to near-extinction of some species.
Interfungins are a group of chemical compounds isolated from fungi in the genus Phellinus which have NF-κB inhibitory activities.
Phellibaumins are hispidin derivatives isolated from the fungus Phellinus. Five such derivatives have been identified, designated as phellibaumins A through E. Phellibaumins A and B are classified as pyranones, while phellibaumins C, D, and E are classified as styrylpyranones.
Medicinal fungi are fungi that contain metabolites or can be induced to produce metabolites through biotechnology to develop prescription drugs. Compounds successfully developed into drugs or under research include antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, cholesterol and ergosterol synthesis inhibitors, psychotropic drugs, immunosuppressants and fungicides.
