prostratin

Prostratin is a non-tumor-promoting phorbol ester natural product originally isolated from the New Zealand shrub *Pimelea prostrata* and later identified as the active component of the Samoan medicinal plant *Homalanthus nutans* (mamala tree). It acts as a potent activator of protein kinase C (PKC) signaling. Prostratin is primarily investigated as a latency-reversing agent (LRA) for HIV/AIDS eradication (the "shock and kill" or "kick and kill" strategy), where it reactivates latent HIV-1 reservoirs in resting CD4+ T cells while simultaneously downregulating CD4, CXCR4, and CCR5 receptors to prevent new viral entry. Additionally, prostratin has shown preclinical potential in oncology, such as inhibiting myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) via PKC delta activation in triple-negative breast cancer and repressing pancreatic tumor growth by disrupting K-Ras-CaM interactions.

Other names

12-deoxyphorbol 13-acetate12-deoxyphorbol-13-acetate13-O-acetyl-12-deoxyphorbol