Elemicin is a trioxygenated phenylpropane that has been found in A. dracunculus.1 It is active against S. aureus, B. subtilis, and C. albicans (MICs = 600, 2,500, and 1,000 mg/L, respectively) but not E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa (MICs = >8,000 mg/L for all), or L. monocytogenes (MIC = >3,000 mg/L). Elemicin is toxic to mice following metabolic activation to 1’-hydroxyelemicin by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms CYP1A1 and CYP1A2.2 It increases plasma and hepatic triglyceride levels, decreases stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (Scd1) expression, and induces hepatomegaly in mice when administered at a dose of 500 mg/kg per day for three weeks.
1.Pauli, A., and Kubeczka, K.H.Antimicrobial properties of volatile phenylpropanesNat. Prod. Commun.5(9)1387-1394(2010) 2.Yang, X.N., Wang, Y.K., Zhu, X., et al.Metabolic activation of elemicin leads to the inhibition of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1Chem. Res. Toxicol.32(10)195-1976(2019)