Product name: Brevicornin
Synonym name:
Catalogue No.: BP5058
Cas No.: 173792-49-9
Formula: C₂₂H₂₄O₇
Mol Weight: 400.427
Botanical Source:
Type of Compound: Flavonoids

Purity: 95%~99%
Analysis Method: HPLC-DAD or/and HPLC-ELSD
Identification Method: Mass, NMR
Packing: Brown vial or HDPE plastic bottle

Storage: Store in a well closed container, protected from air and light. Put into refrigerate or freeze for long term storage.
Whenever possible, you should prepare and use solutions on the same day. However, if you need to make up stock solutions in advance, we recommend that you store the solution as aliquots in tightly sealed vials at -20℃. Generally, these will be useable for up to two weeks.

The product could be supplied from milligrams to grams
Inquire for bulk scale.

For Reference Standard and R&D, Not for Human Use Directly.

Storage conditions：Short-term storage at 2~8℃, long-term storage at -20 ~ -80℃

Introduction/Overview

As the importance of natural products in drug development becomes increasingly prominent, flavonoids, due to their diverse bioactivity and relatively low toxicity, have become hot topics in antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor treatments, and other diseases. Brevicornin, a flavonol natural product isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine epimedium spp., has recently attracted attention from the scientific community due to its remarkable antibacterial activity and excellent pharmacological properties. This paper aims to systematically review the chemical structure, physicochemical properties, plant origin, and extraction methods of Brevicornin, and, combined with its pharmacological activity studies, deeply explore its mechanism of action and molecular targets, evaluate its druggability and pharmacokinetic characteristics, and look ahead to its clinical application prospects, providing a theoretical basis and research direction for subsequent drug development.

Chemical structure and physicochemical properties

Brevicornin has the molecular formula C_25H_28O_6 and a molecular weight of 400.4270. Its chemical structure belongs to the flavonol class, featuring a typical flavonoid backbone containing multiple hydroxyl and methoxy substituents, giving it a solid bioactive basis. According to physicochemical property analysis, Brevicornin has a LogP value of 3.6756, indicating moderate lipid solubility, which facilitates cell membrane penetration without becoming overly hydrophobic. Its topological pole surface area (TPSA) is 109.36 Ų, reflecting the molecule's certain polarity and hydrogen bond donor/acceptor capacity, which facilitates binding to biological targets. Low water solubility (0.0689 mg/mL) suggests limited solubility in the aqueous phase, which may affect its bioavailability. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has low penetration, suggesting its limited distribution in the central nervous system and potentially reducing central side effects. The hERG channel inhibition test was negative, indicating a low risk of cardiotoxicity. The Ames test scored 0.6, indicating a low genotoxicity risk and good safety.

Plant Origins and Extraction Methods

Brevicornin is mainly isolated from plants of the Epimedium genus. Epimedium is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Berberidaceae family, genus Epimedium, widely distributed in China and East Asia. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is often used to tonify the kidneys, enhance yang, dispel wind, and eliminate dampness. Its active ingredients are complex, with flavonoids being among the main pharmacologically active components.

Common methods for extracting Brevicornin include organic solvent extraction, liquid-liquid separation, and chromatographic separation. Ethanol or methanol is generally used as the extraction solvent, extracting dried Epimedium powder by reflux, followed by separation and purification using silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and other techniques. Higher-purity Brevicornin can be structurally identified using mass spectrometry (MS), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR), and other methods. In recent years, the application of ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted extraction technologies has improved extraction efficiency and purity, reduced solvent usage and extraction time, and promoted large-scale preparation of Brevicornin.

Pharmacological activity research

Antibacterial activity

Brevicornin exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, particularly showing significant inhibitory effects against Gram-positive and certain Gram-negative bacteria. In vitro experiments have shown that Brevicornin can effectively inhibit the growth of various commonly clinically pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. Additionally, Brevicornin showed potential inhibitory effects against certain drug-resistant strains, indicating its potential in combating infections by drug-resistant bacteria.

Other pharmacological activities

In addition to its antibacterial effects, Brevicornin also exhibits various pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Its antioxidant effects eliminate free radicals, reduce oxidative stress, and protect cells from damage. The anti-inflammatory effect mainly manifests as inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory factors to reduce inflammatory responses. Some studies show that Brevicornin can regulate immune cell function and enhance the body's immune defense capabilities.

Mechanism of action and molecular targets

The antibacterial mechanism of Brevicornin involves multiple molecular targets, mainly including bacterial DNA gyrase (GYRA), cell wall synthesis-related proteins (FABI, FTSZ), dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), membrane protein (MECA), β-lactamase (PENA), fungal cytochrome P450 enzyme (ERG11, CYP51A1), and multidrug resistance-associated transporter protein (CDR1).

• GYRA (DNA Gyrase A): Brevicornin inhibits GYRA activity, blocking bacterial DNA replication and transcription, leading to bacterial death.
• FABI and FTSZ: involved in bacterial fatty acid synthesis and cell division, Brevicornin interferes with its function and inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis.
• DHFR: As a key enzyme for folate metabolism, Brevicornin inhibits DHFR and blocks nucleic acid synthesis.
• MECA and PENA: Affect bacterial membrane structure and β-lactamase activity, enhancing antibacterial effects.
• ERG11 and CYP51A1: Key enzymes for fungal cell membrane synthesis. Brevicornin disrupts membrane stability by inhibiting its activity.
• CDR1: A multidrug transporter, Brevicornin may reduce drug resistance to bacteria and fungi by inhibiting CDR1.

These multi-target mechanisms give Brevicornin strong antibacterial activity and the potential ability to inhibit drug-resistant bacteria, providing a theoretical basis for its development as a novel antimicrobial drug.

Druggability evaluation and pharmacokinetics

The druggability parameters of Brevicornin indicate that it has good potential for drug development. A moderate molecular weight and LogP value facilitate its absorption and distribution in the body. The TPSA value indicates a certain polarity, which helps with target binding. Low water solubility is a major challenge in its pharmacokinetics, potentially limiting its oral bioavailability, requiring formulation improvements or structural modification optimizations.

The blood-brain barrier has low penetration, reducing the risk of central nervous system toxicity, but at the same time limits its application in central infectious diseases. The hERG channel inhibits negative and has a lower Ames assay risk, indicating lower cardiotoxicity and genotoxicity risks and better safety.

Pharmacokinetic research is still in its early stages, and the characteristics of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in vivo need further clarification. Preliminary animal experiments show that after oral administration, Brevicornin reaches effective plasma concentrations with a moderate half-life, mainly metabolized by the liver. The activity and safety of these metabolites require further study.

Prospects and outlooks for clinical applications

Brevicornin, as a natural flavonol compound, has the potential to become a novel antimicrobial drug due to its broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and multi-target mechanism of action. Its inhibitory effect on resistant strains offers new ideas for addressing clinical antimicrobial resistance issues. Moreover, Brevicornin's anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects give it advantages in the comprehensive treatment of infectious diseases.

Future research should focus on the following aspects:

1. Structural optimization and drug design: Chemical modifications improve water solubility and bioavailability, enhancing in vivo stability and targeting.
2. Pharmacokinetics and toxicology research: Systematically assessing metabolic pathways, long-term toxicity, and safety in vivo to lay the foundation for clinical trials.
3. Preclinical and clinical research: Conduct animal models to verify efficacy and safety, and gradually advance clinical trials.
4. Combination drug research: Exploring synergistic effects with existing antimicrobials to enhance treatment efficacy and delay the development of resistance.
5. Formulation Development: Developing dosage forms suitable for clinical applications, such as nanocarriers and sustained-release formulations, to improve drug stability and targeting.

Conclusion

In summary, Brevicornin, as an important flavonol natural product in epimedium, demonstrates good antibacterial activity and multi-target mechanism, with good druggability and safety. It has broad application prospects in the field of antimicrobial drug development. In the future, through in-depth pharmacological mechanism research, structural optimization, and clinical validation, Brevicornin is expected to become a new generation of safe and effective antimicrobial drugs, providing new therapeutic strategies to combat bacterial resistance and related infectious diseases.