Changes

It was first isolated in Taiwanese hinoki in 1936, signifying the origin of the name Hinokitiol. It is almost absent in Japanese hinoki now. At the same time, it is still contained in high concentration (about 0.04% of heartwood mass) in Juniperus Cedrus, Hiba cedarwood (Thujopsis dolabrata) and Western red cedar (Thuja plicata). It can be easily extracted from the cedarwood with solvent and ultrasonication.[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/tcr.201200024 [5<nowiki>]</nowiki>] [https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/hfsg/61/2/article-p190.xml [6<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

It was first isolated in Taiwanese hinoki in 1936, signifying the origin of the name Hinokitiol. It is almost absent in Japanese hinoki now. At the same time, it is still contained in high concentration (about 0.04% of heartwood mass) in Juniperus Cedrus, Hiba cedarwood (Thujopsis dolabrata) and Western red cedar (Thuja plicata). It can be easily extracted from the cedarwood with solvent and ultrasonication.[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/tcr.201200024 [5<nowiki>]</nowiki>] [https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/hfsg/61/2/article-p190.xml [6<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

Hinokitiol is similar to a tropolone in structure, which lacks the isopropyl substituent. Tropolones are active chelating agents.

Hinokitiol is similar to a tropolone in structure, which lacks the isopropyl substituent. Tropolones are active chelating agents.<ref>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17055455/</ref>

'''Antimicrobial activity'''

'''Antimicrobial activity'''

In addition to antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor activities, characterized in several in vitro cell studies and in vivo animal studies. Hinokitiol determined to exert cytotoxicity on several prominent cancer cell lines by inducing autophagic processes.[http://www.kjcls.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.15324/kjcls.2019.51.2.221 [17<nowiki>]</nowiki>][https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5979393/ [18<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

In addition to antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor activities, characterized in several in vitro cell studies and in vivo animal studies. Hinokitiol determined to exert cytotoxicity on several prominent cancer cell lines by inducing autophagic processes.[http://www.kjcls.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.15324/kjcls.2019.51.2.221 [17<nowiki>]</nowiki>][https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5979393/ [18<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

'''Anti-Cancer'''

'''Anti-Cancer'''

'''A Promising Future'''

'''A Promising Future'''

Beginning in the 2000s, researchers considered that hinokitiol could be of value as a pharmaceutical ingredient, notably for its inhibitory effect on the bacterium ''Chlamydia trachomatis''.

Beginning in the 2000s, researchers considered that hinokitiol could be of value as a pharmaceutical ingredient, notably for its inhibitory effect on the bacterium ''Chlamydia trachomatis''.<ref>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7823344_In_Vitro_Inhibitory_Effects_of_Hinokitiol_on_Proliferation_of_Chlamydia_trachomatis</ref>

Chemist Martin Burke and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and other institutions discovered the significance of hinokitiol in the medical field. Burke’s goal was to overcome the imbalance of iron transport in animals. Deficiencies of several proteins can lead to iron deficiency in cells (anemia) or the opposite effect, Hemochromatosis.[https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/molecule-of-the-week/archive/h/hinokitiol.html] Using gene-depleted yeast cultures as surrogates, the researchers screened a library of small biomolecules for iron transport signs and, therefore, cell growth. Hinokitiol was identified to be the one that rejuvenate cell's functionality. Further study by the team established the mechanism by which hinokitiol balances cell iron.[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470741/] They then diverted their study to mammals and found that when rodents that had been engineered to lack “iron proteins” were fed hinokitiol, they regained iron uptake by increasing the absorption in the gut. In a similar study on zebrafish, hinokitiol revealed to restore Hemoglobin production.[https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/iron-man-molecule-restores-balance-cells] A commentary on the work of Burke et al. nicknamed hinokitiol the “Iron Man molecule”. This is fitting/ironic because discoverer Nozoe’s first name can be translated into English as “iron man”.

Chemist Martin Burke and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and other institutions discovered the significance of hinokitiol in the medical field. Burke’s goal was to overcome the imbalance of iron transport in animals. Deficiencies of several proteins can lead to iron deficiency in cells (anemia) or the opposite effect, Hemochromatosis.[https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/molecule-of-the-week/archive/h/hinokitiol.html] Using gene-depleted yeast cultures as surrogates, the researchers screened a library of small biomolecules for iron transport signs and, therefore, cell growth. Hinokitiol was identified to be the one that rejuvenate cell's functionality. Further study by the team established the mechanism by which hinokitiol balances cell iron.[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470741/] They then diverted their study to mammals and found that when rodents that had been engineered to lack “iron proteins” were fed hinokitiol, they regained iron uptake by increasing the absorption in the gut. In a similar study on zebrafish, hinokitiol revealed to restore Hemoglobin production.[https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/iron-man-molecule-restores-balance-cells] A commentary on the work of Burke et al. nicknamed hinokitiol the “Iron Man molecule”. This is fitting/ironic because discoverer Nozoe’s first name can be translated into English as “iron man”.

Significant research has also been conducted into the oral applications of Hinokitiol, given the increased demand for Hinokitiol based oral products. One such study, affiliated with eight different institutions in Japan, titled: “Antibacterial Activity of Hinokitiol Against Both Antibiotic-Resistant and -Susceptible Pathogenic Bacteria That Predominate in the Oral Cavity and Upper Airways” concluded that “hinokitiol demonstrates antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria and has low cytotoxicity towards human epithelial cells.” [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1348-0421.12688]

Significant research has also been conducted into the oral applications of Hinokitiol, given the increased demand for Hinokitiol based oral products. One such study, affiliated with eight different institutions in Japan, titled: “Antibacterial Activity of Hinokitiol Against Both Antibiotic-Resistant and -Susceptible Pathogenic Bacteria That Predominate in the Oral Cavity and Upper Airways” concluded that “hinokitiol demonstrates antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria and has low cytotoxicity towards human epithelial cells.” [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1348-0421.12688]