Triterpene
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all create triterpenes, with arguable the most important example being squalene as it forms the basis of almost all steroids.
Triterpene structures
Triterpenes exist in a huge variety of structures with nearly 200 different skeletons known from natural sources or enzymatic reactions. These may be broadly divided according to the number of rings present; although in general pentacyclic structures (5 rings) tend to dominate.
Triterpenoids
By definition triterpenes are hydrocarbons and possess no heteroatoms, functionalized triterpenes should instead be called triterpenoids; however this distinction is not always adhered to in scientific literature, with the two terms often being used interchangeably. Triterpenoids possess a rich chemistry and pharmacology (e.g. Cholesterol) with several pentacyclic motiefs; particularly lupane, oleanane and ursane showing promise as anti-cancer agents.
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