My
favorite organic molecule is:
5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-8-[(2S,3R,4R,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]chromen-4-one.
What is commonly called Vitexin. Although the IUPAC naming is an
exceedingly lengthy way to describe the molecule, it tells exactly what
and where each atom bonds to another. In general, the structure is shown
as having hydrogen atoms bonding to the oxygen atoms to form hydroxyls.
However, when the molecule is used in bioassays, they are often
stripped off. This causes Vitexin to have a high binding affinity. It
has been used in various forms of research generally, it is used as an
inhibitor against the formation of activated glycation end products
(AGE). (Peng 2008) What this means is that Vitexin will bind to a key
‘ingredient’ of AGE and thus keep it from being formed. What makes this
truly fascinating is the application of these properties. AGE is one of
the compounds that is commonly implicated in pathological complications
in reference to diabetes. Due to the natural origins of Vitexin, and
it’s presence in legumes, this makes diet change a viable option in
decreasing the complications due to diabetes. It’s inhibitory properties
have been used in various studies, superseding diabetes. That is what
makes Vitexin my favorite molecule.
The images used in this post were all created by me using Chemdraw and Spartan.
I'm glad you chose this molecule as your favorite because it consideres people with diabetes and gives them a way to deal with it such as a diet change! Good work and great description on vitexin and its chemical properties. This post was very informative!
ReplyDeleteClaretha,
DeleteAwh, thanks! I thought this was an amazing product and was a little disappointed that it wasn't a widely publicized form of treatment for patients with diabetes! There are so many reports on Vitexin, and its amazing properties! Perhaps one day it will be part of a cure!
Tyra,
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that you've chosen to post about this molecule. I honestly had never heard of it. Diabetes runs in both sides of my family and this is very valuable information. Your post has motivated me do further research on this molecule. Thank you!
Dailian,
DeleteI am so glad that this post seems to have a good rapport among those affected by diabetes! I hope the information I provided is of some use! I wonder if more flavonoid compounds have similar properties. Two of the researchers I work with have diabetes and have also done further research on the molecule. Hopefully the future of treatment involves diet change and less intrusive measures.
Dear Tyra,
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for deciding to write about this molecule. After reading your blog I became so interested that I decided to find out more about Vitexin. According to Sigma-Aldrich's Material Safety Data Sheet Vitexin is not considered a hazardous substance, and has the form of a yellow powder. Your information about this molecule and Diabetes was also really interesting.
Keep up the good blogging,
Eni
Eni,
DeleteIt is so cool that you and the other commenters have been inspired to do more research on Vitexin. I love the real work applications of this compound. I didn't know about the toxicity or color of the compound before! Thank you so much for your comment!