hirsutenone

Hirsutenone is a naturally occurring diarylheptanoid compound primarily isolated from the bark and leaves of Alnus species, such as Alnus japonica and Alnus nepalensis. It exhibits a range of biological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, and chemopreventive effects. Mechanistically, hirsutenone acts as an inhibitor of Proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase Akt1/2 by direct binding in an ATP-noncompetitive manner and suppresses downstream mTOR signaling. It also inhibits inflammatory mediators by suppressing Toll-like receptor 4 expression-mediated Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) activation regulated via the ERK pathway. Hirsutenone has demonstrated protective effects on epithelial tight junctions through activation of Epidermal growth factor receptor/Akt and Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 pathways leading to increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. Preclinical studies suggest potential applications in cancer (notably prostate cancer), inflammatory skin diseases, atopic dermatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Other names

(4E)-1,7-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-one