Erinacine Explained

Erinacines are natural substances isolated from Hericium erinaceus. They belong to the group of cyathin diterpenoids (erinacines A-K, P, Q, S, U) and are subjects of pharmacological research.

Erinacine A

Erinacine A, isolated from the cultured mycelia of Hericium erinaceus, the main representative of this compounds group, has an enhancing effect on nerve growth factor synthesis in vitro.^[1] It also increases catecholamine in the central nervous system of rats.

Erinacine A has also been prepared by total synthesis.^[2]

Erinacine E

Erinacine E is a kappa opioid receptor agonist.^[3]

Further reading

• Kenmoku H, Shimai T, Toyomasu T, Kato N, Sassa T . Erinacine Q, a new erinacine from Hericium erinaceum, and its biosynthetic route to erinacine C in the basidiomycete . Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry . 66 . 3 . 571–5 . March 2002 . 12005051 . 10.1271/bbb.66.571. 46327735 . free .

Notes and References

1. Tetrahedron Letters . 35 . 10 . 1994 . 1569–1572 . Erinacines A, B and C, strong stimulators of nerve growth factor (NGF)-synthesis, from the mycelia of Hericium erinaceum . Hirokazu Kawagishi . Atsushi Shimada . Ryoko Shirai . Kenji Okamoto . Fumihiro Ojima . Hideki Sakamoto . Yukio Ishiguro . Shoei Furukawa . 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)76760-8.
2. Synthesis of (±)-Allocyathin B2 and (+)-Erinacine A . Barry B. Snider . Nha Huu Vo . Steven V. O'Neil . Bruce M. Foxman . amp . J. Am. Chem. Soc. . 1996 . 118 . 32 . 7644–7645 . 10.1021/ja9615379.
3. Saito T, Aoki F, Hirai H . Erinacine E as a kappa opioid receptor agonist and its new analogs from a basidiomycete, Hericium ramosum . The Journal of Antibiotics . 51 . 11 . 983–90 . November 1998 . 9918390 . 10.7164/antibiotics.51.983. etal. free .