Title:(+)-Nootkatone: Progresses in Synthesis, Structural Modifications, Pharmacology
and Ecology Uses
Volume: 2
Issue: 2
Author(s): Yu-Bin Wang, Jian-Long Li, Fang-Fang Xu, Xiao-Dong Han, Yun-Shan Wu and Bo Liu*
Affiliation:
- The Second Clinical Medical College, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional
Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangzhou Key
Laboratory of Chirality Research on Active Components of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong-Hong
Kong-Macau Joint Lab on Chinese Medicine and Immune Disease Research, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine,
Guangzhou 510006, China
Keywords:
(+)-Nootkatone, chemosynthesis, biosynthesis, pharmacological effect, ecological use, structural modifications.
Abstract: (+)-Nootkatone is a type of eremophilane naturally derived sesquiterpenoids with a
grapefruit smell from plants, widely used in the food and cosmetics industries. Many investigations
elucidated that (+)-nootkatone presents extensive pharmacological activity, such as antiproliferation
in cancer cells, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant nitration stress, etc. In addition, (+)-
nootkatone has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency as a new active ingredient
for use in insecticides and insect repellents against ticks, mosquitoes, and a wide variety of other
biting pests. Because of the increasingly stringent environmental supervision and market demand for
“natural” (+)-nootkatone, the explorations for producing this high-value chemical by green chemosynthesis
and biosynthesis technology are in progress. Structural derivatization is becoming one of
the most important ways to exploit pharmaceutical and ecological applications. This review covered
the progress of the above research and application advances comprehensively to encourage interested
scientists to implement further studies.