Pinosylvin
Pinosylvin is a pre-infectious stilbenoid toxin that is synthetized in plants during fungal infections, ozone induced stress and physical damage for example. It is a fungitoxin protecting the wood from fungal infection. It is present in the heartwood of Pinaceae and also found in Gnetum cleistostachyum.
Injected in rats, pinosylvin shows a rapid glucuronidation and a poor bioavailability.
Pinosylvin is solid and needle-like. It is very soluble on acetone, benzene and chloroform.Biosynthesis
is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
3 malonyl-CoA + cinnamoyl-CoA → 4 CoA + pinosylvin + 4 CO2
This biosynthesis is noteworthy because plant biosyntheses employing cinnamic acid as a starting point are rare compared to the more common use of p-coumaric acid. Only a few identified compounds, such as anigorufone and curcumin, use cinnamic acid as their start molecule.
