(1S-endo)-1,7,7-Trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-ol

BeschreibungBorneol is an analgetic, antibacterial, and resuscitation-inducing norborneol derived from fresh branches and leaves of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl. Far more than 2000years ago, it has been introduced to China . In China, it has been firstly recorded in Ming Yi Bie Lu and then included in Tang Ben Cao. It was recorded in history that borneol was derived from Dryobalanops camphora gaertner and then precipitated from the resin to form the natural crystal compound or distilled from the trunk and cooled down to form the crystal compound, which is certified from Indonesia. In China, the natural borneol mainly relied on imports. In recent years, it was extracted from the Lauraceae plants, including Cinnamomum camphora, Cinnamomum longepaniculatum, and Cinnamomum burmannii, which greatlyincreases the resources of natural borneol for China. Cinnamomum camphora is mainly distributed in Jiangxi and Fujian provinces with 81.78% of borneol. Cinnamomum longepaniculatum is mainly distributed in Hunan and Sichuan provinces with 77.57% of borneol. Cinnamomum burmannii is mainly distributed in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces with 70.81% of borneol. Among them, Cinnamomum camphora contains more borneol than the other two types .

HistoryBorneol has been widely used worldwide. It has been systematically studied since 1803 in Dutch literature. This might be because borneol was originated from Indonesia which had been the colony of the Netherlands since the seventeenth century. Stockman reviewed the borneol systematically and conducted the preliminary pharmacological experiments. The current pharmacological studies of borneol focus on crossing blood-brain barrier and its mechanism, as well as promoting the penetration of blood-brain barrier after compatibility with other drugs, which has been started by Qizhong Mo in Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences since 1982 . Qide Wu et al. synthesized a series of ester derivatives of natural borneol and studied its biological properties. It was found that (+) – 4-methoxybenzoic acid borneol ester had a significant effect on the opening of the blood-brain barrier and was less toxic than borneol . Because of the unique chemical structure of borneol and relatively low molecular weight, borneol is often modified to observe whether the drug has such pharmacological effects of antitumor, increasing the penetration of blood-brain barrier, antibacterial, antioxidant, and others. Up to date, there is no druggability report based on borneol modification.

Verwenden(-)-Borneol is used to prepare its esters by reacting with acids. Its derivatives are used as chiral ligands in asymmetric synthesis. It is also used in flavors and perfumes. Further, it is used in traditional Chinese medicine as moxa. In addition to this, it is used as a component of many essential oils and also used as a natural insect repellent.