BETULIN

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION

H.S. CODE

TOXICITY

Lup-20(29)-ene-3beta,28-diol; Messagenin; Triterpenoid; Betulinic alcohol;

CLASSIFICATION

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

AUTOIGNITION

NFPA RATINGS

REFRACTIVE INDEX

Stable under ordinary conditions

GENERAL DESCRIPTION & APPLICATIONS

Betulin is a constituent of the cork layer of the outer bark of Betula alba, B. pendula, B. pubescent and B. platyphylla. Other sources are Diospyros leucomelas, Nelumbo nucifera, Zizyphus mauritiana and seeds of Ziziphus vulgaris var. spinosus. Betulin also occurs as the palmitate in the glue firm bark of Trochodendron aralioides.The antiphlogistic activity of betulin was confirmed in various experimental models. Studies on the activity of a methanolic extract from the rhizomes of N. nucifera, as well as betulin and betulinic acid revealed a marked inhibition of the carrageenin- and serotonin-induced rat paw edema, which was comparable to that of the standard anti-inflammatory agents phenylbutazone and dexamethazone. The authors of these studies concluded that lupane derivatives (steroid triterpenes), have an affinity for glucocorticoid receptors. This mechanism of action was confirmed by another study on three triterpenes isolated from D. leucomelas: betulin, betulic acid (Recio et al. 1995) oleanolic (Singh et al. 1992) and ursolic acid (Najid et al. 1992). All triterpenes tested showed anti-inflammatory activity in the following model tests: serotonin -, cararrageenan-induced paw edema; and TPA- and EPP-induced eye edema. Administration of progesterone, actinomycine D and cycloheximide helped to clarify a glucocorticoidal mechanism of action for the compounds tested, and among which betulinic acid showed the highest activity (Recio et al. 1995). (http://www.zsf.jcu.cz/)

Betulinic acid, a pentacyclic triterpene, is known to have inhibitory property for aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.2) activity and thus is a potential anti-melanoma agent by selectively killing human melanoma cells. It is a chemical compounds that may assist in fighting oral bacteria which would promote tooth decay. It is also considered to have effective as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, antimalarial, and prostaglandin antagonist.

• Analgesic
• Anti-HIV Agent
• Anti-infective Agent
• Anti-inflammatory Agent
• Antimalarial
• Antineoplastic Agent
• Antiparasitic Agent
• Antiprotozoal Agent
• Antiretroviral Agent
• Antirheumatic Agent
• Antiviral Agent
• Hormone Antagonist
• Peripheral Nervous System Agent
• Prostaglandin antagonist
• Sensory System Agent

APPEARANCE

ASSAY (G.C)

98.0% min