Annonacin
Encyclopedia
Annonacin is a chemical found in some fruits such as the guanabana (and other from Annonaceae
Annonaceae
Annonaceae, also called the custard apple familyis a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs or rarely lianas.With about 2300 to 2500 species and more than 130 genera,...

 family). It is a member of the class of compounds known as acetogenins. Recent reports have shown that daily consumption in rats (3.8 and 7.6 mg per kg per day for 28 days) caused brain lesions consistent with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

.
Along with other acetogenins, annonacin is reported to block mitochondrial complex I (NADH-dehydrogenase
Dehydrogenase
A dehydrogenase is an enzyme that oxidises a substrate by a reduction reaction that transfers one or more hydrides to an electron acceptor, usually NAD+/NADP+ or a flavin coenzyme such as FAD or FMN.-Examples:...

), which is responsible for the conversion of NADH to NAD and the build-up of a proton gradient over the mitochondrial inner membrane. This effectively disables a cell's ability to generate ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme. It is often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...

 via an oxidative pathway, ultimately forcing a cell into apoptosis
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

 or necrosis
Necrosis
Necrosis is the premature death of cells in living tissue. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma. This is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death...

.
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