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α-Pinene: A never-ending story
Martina Allenspach1, Christian Steuer1
1Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
Phytochemistry
|August 8, 2021
Summary
Alpha-pinene, a monoterpene found in plants, exhibits enantioselective antibacterial and insecticidal properties. This review explores its synthetic pathways, bioactivities, and use in authenticating essential oils.
Area of Science:
- Organic Chemistry
- Natural Products Chemistry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Alpha-pinene is a prevalent monoterpene found in conifers and Cannabis species.
- It has a long history of use in traditional medicine for respiratory infections.
- Alpha-pinene is vital in the fragrance and flavor industries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent literature on alpha-pinene synthesis and applications.
- To highlight the enantioselective biological activities of alpha-pinene.
- To discuss scaffold hopping strategies utilizing the alpha-pinene core.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of synthetic pathways and biological activities.
- Analysis of enantioselective in vitro assays.
- Examination of recent research on chemical entity synthesis and essential oil authentication.
Main Results:
- (+)- and (-)-α-pinene show distinct enantioselective antibacterial and insecticidal activities.
- Alpha-pinene serves as a versatile scaffold for synthesizing novel compounds.
- Enantiomeric profiling is a key method for essential oil authenticity control.
Conclusions:
- Alpha-pinene possesses diverse pharmacological and industrial applications.
- Its enantioselective properties are crucial for targeted bioactivity.
- Understanding alpha-pinene's chemistry is essential for its effective utilization and quality control.
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