Rutaecarpine (Indolopyridoquinazoline Alkaloid)

Rutaecarpine is a pure alkaloid compound (not a food or nutritional ingredient), therefore it has no macronutrient, micronutrient, fiber, or protein content in the conventional nutritional sense. It is an indolopyridoquinazoline alkaloid with molecular formula C18H13N3O and molecular weight of 287.32 g/mol. It is the primary bioactive constituent isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa (Wu Zhu Yu) fruit, typically present in the dried fruit at concentrations ranging from approximately 0.01–0.1% by dry weight depending on species and extraction method. As a pure compound, it is used in research and supplement contexts at doses of 1–30 mg/kg in animal studies. Bioavailability: rutaecarpine demonstrates poor oral bioavailability (~10–20% estimated in rodent models) due to extensive first-pass hepatic metabolism; it is rapidly metabolized by CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and CYP1A1 enzymes into hydroxylated metabolites (e.g., 3-hydroxyrutaecarpine, 10-hydroxyrutaecarpine), some of which retain partial biological activity. It is lipophilic (LogP approximately 2.8), with limited water solubility (~0.05 mg/mL), which constrains absorption. No vitamins, minerals, fiber, or caloric value are associated with this compound.