Kinetin
Common Name(s): N-(2-furanylmethyl)-1H-purin-6-amine, 6-furfurylaminopurine, Kinetin, Kinetin riboside, N6-furfuryladenine
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jul 21, 2021.
Clinical Overview
Use
Kinetin has primarily been used topically as an antiaging preparation, although there is limited clinical information to support this use. Potential uses for oral kinetin include the treatment of genetic disorders such as familial dysautonomia and certain cancers.
Dosing
Oral kinetin has only been studied in a few clinical trials of questionable quality. Topical applications are available at 0.03% to 0.1% strengths.
Contraindications
Contraindications have not yet been identified.
Pregnancy/Lactation
Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.
Interactions
None well documented.
Adverse Reactions
Information on adverse reactions due to topical application is limited. Case reports of reactions to commercial topical preparations are lacking.
Toxicology
Information is limited.
Botany
Kinetin, initially thought to be a synthetic product, was isolated over 50 years ago as a plant hormone or cytokinin. Cytokinins function as essential growth hormones that can influence cell growth and differentiation in plant and nonplant tissues. Kinetin is found in plant cell extracts, including plant root nodules and the endosperm liquid of fresh, young coconut fruit. It has also been identified in freshly extracted DNA from human cells, human urine, and herring sperm.Barciszewski 2007
History
One of the first recognized cytokinins was a component of coconut milk, which was used as a standard additive to plant tissue cultures because of its ability to induce plant cell division (cytokinesis). Studies dating back to the mid-1950s describe the structure and synthesis of the cytokinin kinetin.Barciszewski 2007, Voller 2010
Chemistry
Cytokinins are N6-substituted adenine derivatives, categorized into 3 groups: the isoprenoid, the aromatic cytokinins, and the furfural group consisting of kinetin and kinetin riboside. Kinetin is thought to originate from furfural, a primary oxidation product of the deoxyribose in DNA. Kinetin exhibits electrochemical properties, which facilitate its measurement in biological material. A review of the chemical structure of kinetin and its associated moieties has been published.Barciszewski 2007, Choi 2008, Voller 2010
Uses and Pharmacology
Cancer
Most studies utilize the kinetin riboside because free-base cytokinins are weaker cytotoxic agents, with the ribose at N9 of the purine ring essential for activity.Voller 2010 Suppression of cellular signaling, cell-cycle arrest, and induction of apoptosis have been demonstrated in vitro.Cabello 2009, Cheong 2009, Choi 2008, Dudzik 2011, Tiedemann 2008, Voller 2010
Animal data
Studies have been conducted in mice with induced melanoma and myeloma. Inhibition of the tumor growth has been demonstrated.Choi 2008, Tiedemann 2008, Voller 2010
Clinical data
Clinical studies are lacking. In vitro studies have shown efficacy of kinetin riboside against human cell cancer lines, including leukemia, mela...
