MOLECULE

aplha-selinene

Alpha-Selinene (α-selinene) also known as selinene, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as eudesmane, isoeudesmane or cycloeudesmane sesquiterpenoids. These are sesquiterpenoids with a structure based on the eudesmane skeleton. Sesquiterpenes are terpenes that contain 15 carbon atoms and are comprised of three isoprene units. The biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes is known to occur mainly through the mevalonic acid pathway (MVA), in the cytosol. However, recent studies have found evidence of pathway crosstalk with the methyl-eritritol-phosphate (MEP) pathway in the plastid (PMID: 19932496, 17710406). Farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of cyclic sesquiterpenes. FPP undergoes several cyclization reactions to yield a diverse number of cyclic arrangements. α-Selinene is one of many terpenes that can be found in cannabis plants ( PMID: 31816756), together with the other three known Selinene isomers, β-, γ-, and δ- selinene. Selinenes have been detected in a variety of plant species, with α- and β-selinene being the most frequent, while γ-Selinene and δ-selinene are less common.