Amygdalin is a cyanide-containing diglucoside derived from bitter almonds (Prunus dulcis) and apricot pits and is structurally related to Vitamin B17 but it is not a vitamin. The monoglucoside prunasin is the precursor to Amygdalin. In the 1950s, Amygdalin was a proposed anti-cancer agent; however, its use is avoided due to its cytotoxicity. In fact, amygdalin consumption will cause it to release cyanide and may cause cyanide poisoning. It may be used as a substrate to characterize enzymes such as maltase(s), emulsin(s), and β-glucosidase(s).
Amygdalin is freely soluble in water.
| Mechanism of Action | Amygdalin is metabolized in the gut by β-glucosidase prunasin hydrolase (PH) enzyme with hydrogen cyanide (along with benzaldehyde and glucose) as a byproduct. Some of the hydrogen cyanide produced can be cytotoxic to tumor cells. |
| References |
Milazzo S and Horneber M (2015) Laetrile treatment for cancer. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. Apr 28;2015(4):CD005476 PMID 25918920 Shi J et al (2019) Recent updates and future perspectives about amygdalin as a potential anticancer agent: A review. Cancer Med. 2019 Jun;8(6):3004-3011 PMID 31066207 |
| Plant Biology |
The localization of Prunasin Hydrolase (PH) proteins is dependent on the stage of fruit development, as determined from tissue and cellular localization of pH. |
