%0 Journal Article
%T A Review of the Receptor-Binding Properties of p-Synephrine as Related to Its Pharmacological Effects
%A Sidney J. Stohs
%A Harry G. Preuss
%A Mohd Shara
%J Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2011/482973
%X Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extract and its primary protoalkaloid p-synephrine are used widely in weight loss/weight management and sports performance products. Because of structural similarities, the pharmacological effects of p-synephrine are widely assumed to be similar to those of ephedrine, m-synephrine (phenylephrine), and endogenous amine neurotransmitters as norepinephrine and epinephrine. However, small structural changes result in the receptor binding characteristics of these amines that are markedly different, providing a plausible explanation for the paucity of adverse effects associated with the wide-spread consumption of p-synephrine in the form of dietary supplements as well as in various Citrus foods and juices. This paper summarizes the adrenoreceptor binding characteristics of p-synephrine relative to m-synephrine, norepinephrine, and other amines as related to the observed pharmacological effects.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/oximed/2011/482973/