Sinapyl alcohol
Encyclopedia
Sinapyl alcohol is an organic compound
derived from cinnamic acid
. This phytochemical
is one of the monolignol
s. It is biosynthetized
via the phenylpropanoid
biochemical pathway, its immediate precursor being sinapaldehyde
. Sinapyl alcohol is a precursor to lignin
or lignan
s. It is also a biosynthetic precursor to various stilbenoids and coumarin
s.
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...
derived from cinnamic acid
Cinnamic acid
Cinnamic acid is a white crystalline organic acid, which is slightly soluble in water.It is obtained from oil of cinnamon, or from balsams such as storax. It is also found in shea butter and is the best indication of its environmental history and post-extraction conditions...
. This phytochemical
Phytochemical
Phytochemicals are biologically active chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants . Phytochemicals are the molecules responsible for the color and organoleptic properties . For example, the deep purple color of blueberries and the smell of garlic...
is one of the monolignol
Monolignol
Monolignols are phytochemicals acting as source materials for biosynthesis of both lignans and lignin. The starting material for production of monolignols is the amino acid phenylalanine. The first reactions in the biosynthesis are shared with the phenylpropanoid pathway, and monolignols are...
s. It is biosynthetized
Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...
via the phenylpropanoid
Phenylpropanoid
The phenylpropanoids are a diverse family of organic compounds that are synthesized by plants from the amino acid phenylalanine. Their name is derived from the six-carbon, aromatic phenyl group and the three-carbon propene tail of cinnamic acid, which is synthesized from phenylalanine in the first...
biochemical pathway, its immediate precursor being sinapaldehyde
Sinapaldehyde
Sinapaldehyde is a chemical compound found in Senra incana .In Arabidopsis thaliana, this compound is part of the lignin biosynthesis pathway. The enzyme dihydroflavonol 4-reductase uses sinapaldehyde and NADPH to produce sinapyl alcohol and NADP+.It is a low molecular weight phenolic compound...
. Sinapyl alcohol is a precursor to lignin
Lignin
Lignin or lignen is a complex chemical compound most commonly derived from wood, and an integral part of the secondary cell walls of plants and some algae. The term was introduced in 1819 by de Candolle and is derived from the Latin word lignum, meaning wood...
or lignan
Lignan
The lignans are a group of chemical compounds found in plants. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants. The other classes of phytoestrogens are the isoflavones and coumestans...
s. It is also a biosynthetic precursor to various stilbenoids and coumarin
Coumarin
Coumarin is a fragrant chemical compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, found in many plants, notably in high concentration in the tonka bean , vanilla grass , sweet woodruff , mullein , sweet grass , cassia cinnamon and sweet clover...
s.