Editing Limonoid (section)

{{Short description|Class of chemical compounds}}
[[Image:Limonin.svg|thumb|right|Chemical structure of the prototypical limonoid [[limonin]]]]

'''Limonoids''' are [[phytochemicals]] of the [[triterpenoid]] class which are abundant in sweet or sour-scented [[citrus]] fruit and other plants of the families [[Cucurbitaceae]], [[Rutaceae]], and [[Meliaceae]].<ref>{{cite journal
| author = Amit Roy and Shailendra Saraf
| year = 2006
| title = Limonoids: Overview of Significant Bioactive Triterpenes Distributed in Plants Kingdom
| journal = Biol. Pharm. Bull.
| volume = 29
| issue = 2
| pages = 191–201
| pmid = 16462017 
| doi = 10.1248/bpb.29.191
| url = http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/29/2/191/_pdf
| doi-access = free
}}</ref> Certain limonoids are [[antifeedant]]s such as [[azadirachtin]] from the [[neem]] tree.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Biological activity of limonoids from the rutales|journal=Phytochemistry|volume=31|pages=377–394|author=Donald E.Champagne |author2=Opender Koul |author3=Murray B. Isman |author4=Geoffrey G. E.Scudder |author5=G. H. Neil Towers |year=1992|issue=2|doi=10.1016/0031-9422(92)90003-9}}</ref>

Chemically, the limonoids consist of variations of the [[furanolactone]] core structure.  The prototypical structure consists of four six-membered rings and a [[furan]] ring.  Limonoids are classed as [[tetranortriterpenoid|tetranortriterpenes]].