Tyrosol, also known as 4-hydroxyphenylethanol or 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)phenol, is a member of the class of compounds known as tyrosols. Tyrosols are organic aromatic compounds containing a phenethyl alcohol moiety that carries a hydroxyl group at the 4-position of the benzene group. Tyrosol is soluble (in water) and a very weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Tyrosol can be synthesized from 2-phenylethanol. Tyrosol is also a parent compound for other transformation products, including but not limited to, hydroxytyrosol, crosatoside B, and oleocanthal. Tyrosol is a mild, sweet, and floral tasting compound and can be found in a number of food items such as breadnut tree seed, sparkleberry, loquat, and savoy cabbage, which makes tyrosol a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Tyrosol can be found primarily in feces and urine, as well as in human prostate tissue. Tyrosol exists in all eukaryotes, ranging from yeast to humans. Tyrosol present in wine is also shown to be cardioprotective. Samson et al. has shown that tyrosol-treated animals showed significant increase in the phosphorylation of Akt, eNOS and FOXO3a. In addition, tyrosol also induced the expression of longevity protein SIRT1 in the heart after myocardial infarction in a rat MI model. Hence tyrosol's SIRT1, Akt and eNOS activating power adds another dimension to the wine research, because it adds a great link to the French paradox. In conclusion these findings suggest that tyrosol induces myocardial protection against ischemia related stress by inducing survival and longevity proteins that may be considered as anti-aging therapy for the heart .
Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as tyrosols. These are organic aromatic compounds containing a phenethyl alcohol moiety that carries a hydroxyl group at the 4-position of the benzene group.
