Lapachol
Encyclopedia
Lapachol is a natural organic compound
isolated from the lapacho tree
(Tabebuia avellandedae). Chemically, it is a derivative of naphthoquinone
, related to vitamin K
.
Once studied as a possible treatment for some types of cancer, lapachol's potential is now considered low due to its toxic side effects.
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
isolated from the lapacho tree
Tabebuia
Tabebuia is a neotropical genus of about 100 species in the tribe Tecomeae of the family Bignoniaceae. The species range from northern Mexico and southern Florida south to northern Argentina, including the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and Cuba...
(Tabebuia avellandedae). Chemically, it is a derivative of naphthoquinone
Naphthoquinone
Naphthoquinone is a class of natural phenols based on the C6-C4 skeleton.1,4-Naphthoquinone can be viewed as derivatives of naphthalene through the replacement of two hydrogen atoms by two ketone groups....
, related to vitamin K
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a group of structurally similar, fat soluble vitamins that are needed for the posttranslational modification of certain proteins required for blood coagulation and in metabolic pathways in bone and other tissue. They are 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives...
.
Once studied as a possible treatment for some types of cancer, lapachol's potential is now considered low due to its toxic side effects.