What are terpenoids?

Editor's note: This article has been reprinted. First published August 28, 2017.

Traditional medical practitioners have known for thousands of years that plants have the power to prevent, treat or improve a variety of diseases. Plants contain bioactive phytochemicals, such as tocopherols, polyphenols, and ascorbic acid, which perform important functions for both plants and humans.

Terpenoids (aka isoprenoids) are another beneficial phytochemical that many people have never heard of before. Among the countless compounds found in plants, terpenoids represent the largest and most diverse class of beneficial chemicals.^One There are more than 40,000 individual terpenoids, and new ones are discovered every year.²

Plants use terpenoid metabolites to support basic functions such as growth, repair, and development. However, according to research^three Published in Advances in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, they “use most of the terpenoids for more specialized chemical interactions and protection.”

Among humans, terpenoids have long been valued for medicinal purposes in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine, and are also used for food, pharmaceutical, and chemical purposes. The anticancer drug Taxol and the antimalarial drug Artemisinin are both terpenoid-based drugs.⁴ However, the plant compound is perhaps best known as the main component of the essential oils of many plants.

It is a popular product in the fragrance industry because it is responsible for the flavors and scents of various plants, from floral and fruity to woody scents.⁵ Additionally, as pointed out in one study:⁶ From a recent Patent Journal on Food, Nutrition and Agriculture:

“Terpenoids represent the oldest known biomolecules recovered from 2.5 billion-year-old sediments. They are the most abundant and diverse class of natural compounds among plant secondary metabolites. The diversity of terpenoids is probably due to the large number of terpenoids. “It appears to reflect biological activity, making them a widely used resource in nature for traditional and modern human exploitation.”

Consuming terpenoids daily may help with metabolic disorders, including diabetes

When it comes to health, there is evidence that these powerful plant compounds play a beneficial role in metabolism. According to a research team at Kyoto University in Japan,⁷ Terpenoids can modulate the activity of ligand-dependent transcription factors, especially peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs).

PPARs help regulate genes involved in fat and glucose metabolism, and PPAR activation has beneficial effects on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

“Because PPARs are dietary lipid sensors that regulate energy homeostasis, daily intake of these terpenoids may be useful in the management of obesity-induced metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease,” the researchers wrote. added: :⁸

“A diet rich in vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome. Since most terpenoids are derived from plants and are contained in vegetables and fruits, dietary terpenoids may contribute to reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, because terpenoids constitute one of the largest families of natural products, more potent and useful PPAR activators may exist.”

Terpenoids may be valuable as cancer-fighting antioxidants and more.

Terpenoids are classified into several classes of chemicals, including monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, and tetraterpenes, while tetraterpenes contain more familiar carotenoids, including lutein and lycopene. Many of these are known for their antioxidant properties and cancer-fighting potential. For example, lycopene may play an important role in preventing breast and prostate cancer.

“The monoterpenes limonene and perillyl alcohol may be promising agents in the treatment of cancer,” noted a review published in the journal Vitamins and Hormones.⁹ We especially note that combinations of antioxidants can have a synergistic effect.

Terpenoids have also been singled out for their potential to prevent and treat liver cancer. According to one study¹⁰ “A number of terpenoids exhibit cytotoxicity against a variety of tumor cells and exhibit cancer prevention and anticancer efficacy in preclinical animal models,” writes the World Journal of Hepatology.

Ten new terpenoids, along with 15 known terpenoids, were shown to reverse multidrug resistance in multidrug-resistant tumor cell lines.¹¹ And nimbolide (a bioactive terpenoid compound found in neem) taken orally for three months can shrink prostate tumors by 70% while inhibiting metastases by about 50%.¹² The plant compound has also shown potential as an anti-colon cancer agent, researchers explained:¹³

“The anticancer properties of terpenoids are associated with a variety of mechanisms, including counteracting oxidative stress, enhancing endogenous antioxidants, enhancing detoxification potential, interfering with cell survival pathways, and inducing apoptosis.”

Additionally, some terpenoids are structurally similar to human hormones, including hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancers, and a study published in Current Drug Targets found that a diet rich in terpenoids may reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer. It is inversely proportional to .¹⁴ “(P) Preclinical studies support the clinical application of naturally occurring terpenoids in the treatment of hormone-related human cancers,” the researchers noted.

Terpenoids provide anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving properties and more

In addition to their cancer-preventing effects, terpenoids have the following beneficial properties:¹⁵

It may also help explain why essential oil therapy is so effective, as terpenoids are known to affect behavior in animals and humans when inhaled from the ambient air.¹⁶ Because terpenoids are also found in cannabis, it has been suggested that terpenoids may work synergistically with cannabinoids to produce some of the beneficial effects of medical marijuana. According to a study in the British Journal of Pharmacology:¹⁷

“(Terpenoids) exhibit unique therapeutic effects that may contribute meaningfully to the entourage effects of cannabis-based medicinal extracts… Phytocannabinoid-terpenoid interactions… Pain, inflammation, depression, It may produce synergistic effects in relation to the treatment of anxiety, addiction, epilepsy, and cancer, including fungal and bacterial infections (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).”

Scientifically speaking, what are terpenoids?

Natural Products Chemistry and Research¹⁸ It describes terpenoids as “a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic compounds similar to terpenes” and “any group of hydrocarbons containing terpenes derived from five-carbon isoprene units.” They can form cyclic structures like sterols. Furthermore:

“Most of them are multi-ring structures that differ not only in their functional groups but also in their basic carbon skeleton. These lipids can be found in all types of organisms and are the largest group of natural products…”

Most have an aroma but no color, are lighter than water, and become volatile (aka “vapors”) with vapor, volatilizing or turning into a gas. Some terpenoids are solids, such as camphor, but all are soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Most of these are optically active and many are open chain or linked cyclic unsaturated compounds with one or more double bonds (forming rings).¹⁹

Plants with the most terpenoids

Terpenoids are found throughout nature in many living organisms, especially plants, fungi, and marine animals.²⁰ If you want to increase your intake of these beneficial compounds through your diet, eating more whole plant foods is a good way to start.

Eating a variety of foods will ensure that you are consuming a variety of terpenoids. For example, a list of dietary terpenoids and their dietary sources being evaluated for anticancer activity was published in the journal Frontiers in Bioscience.²¹

• Monoterpenes — Lemon, orange, grapefruit, caraway, bergamot, peppermint, spearmint, dill, tomato
• Diterpenes — Carrots, spinach, pumpkin, broccoli, mango, papaya, cherry, tomato, orange, cabbage, watermelon, lettuce
• Triterpenoids — Mango, strawberry, grape, fig
• Carotenoids — Tomatoes, oranges, carrots, peas, bean sprouts, vegetables

Thyme and coriander seed oils, which contain up to 70% linalool (a terpenoid), are also good sources, as are mushrooms and chamomile. Black seed oil, rich in the terpenoid thymoquinone, is another great choice.

Thymoquinone is known to have anticancer effects.²² research²³ A study published in Drug Discovery Today concluded that thymoquinone has a long history of fighting cancer in vitro and in vivo (in “test tube” experiments and animal studies) and modulates nine of the ten hallmarks of cancer.

Thymoquinone extract from black cumin has been shown to be effective against cancers of the blood, lung, kidney, liver, prostate, breast, cervix, colon and skin.²⁴ Black cumin oil is popular in health food circles, but its essential fatty acids are easily destroyed by prolonged exposure to heat or air, so for optimal nutrition it may be better to use the seeds. One problem with extracting oil from seeds is that they require processing, which causes damage.

I soak the seeds overnight and then add them to my smoothies. Because it has a slightly bitter taste, adding sweetener such as honey or maple syrup makes it taste better. Research is underway investigating the effects of various terpenoid extracts, such as extracts from Siberian fir, a coniferous evergreen tree that has shown potential anti-aging and anti-cancer effects.²⁵

The point is that terpenoids appear to do wonders for your health, and if you want to get more, the easiest way is to eat more vegetables, herbs, and fruits.

Many other plant extracts, essential oils and medicinal plants also contain high concentrations, and working with a holistic practitioner who is knowledgeable about the different varieties and individual uses can help you determine which source is best for you. .