| Stereochemistry | ABSOLUTE |
| Molecular Formula | C35H36N4O5 |
| Molecular Weight | 592.6841 |
| Optical Activity | UNSPECIFIED |
| Defined Stereocenters | 3 / 3 |
| E/Z Centers | 0 |
| Charge | 0 |
SHOW SMILES / InChI
SMILES
CCC1=C(C)C2=CC3=C(C=C)C(C)=C(N3)C=C4N=C([C@@H](CCC(O)=O)[C@@H]4C)C5=C6NC(=CC1=N2)C(C)=C6C(=O)[C@@H]5C(=O)OC
InChI
InChIKey=NSFSLUUZQIAOOX-QEWKCGBTSA-N
InChI=1S/C35H36N4O5/c1-8-19-15(3)22-12-24-17(5)21(10-11-28(40)41)32(38-24)30-31(35(43)44-7)34(42)29-18(6)25(39-33(29)30)14-27-20(9-2)16(4)23(37-27)13-26(19)36-22/h8,12-14,17,21,31,36,39H,1,9-11H2,2-7H3,(H,40,41)/b22-12-,23-13-,24-12-,25-14-,26-13-,27-14-,32-30-/t17-,21-,31+/m0/s1
| Molecular Formula | C35H34N4O5 |
| Molecular Weight | 590.6683 |
| Charge | 0 |
| Count |
MOL RATIO
1 MOL RATIO (average) |
| Stereochemistry | ABSOLUTE |
| Additional Stereochemistry | No |
| Defined Stereocenters | 3 / 3 |
| E/Z Centers | 0 |
| Optical Activity | UNSPECIFIED |
Pheophorbide A is a product of chlorophyll breakdown in plants. It is an active component of the Chinese medicinal herb Scutellaria barbata. Others report on extraction of the drug from sources as varied as spinach leaves and silkworm excreta, and on its confounding appearance in the digestive tracts of animals fed chlorophyll-containing food. Pheophorbide A acts as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy. Photoactivated pheophorbide A induces lipid peroxidation, arrests cell growth by activating apoptosis and/or necrosis. In vitro and animal studies have suggested some efficacy for pheophorbide A-mediated photodynamic therapy of cancers.
CNS Activity
Approval Year
Sample Use Guides
HT29 tumor-bearing nude mice: 30 mg/kg i.p.
Azaserine-treated rats: 9 mg/kg i.v.
Route of Administration:
Other
DNA fragmentation, sub-G1 cell cycle arrest, as well as suppression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, release of cytochrome c to the cytosol, and activation of pro-caspase 3 and pro-caspase 9 were observed when Hep3B cells were treated with 40 microg/mL (i. e., 67.5 microM) pheophorbide a for 48 hours.
