Sedoheptulose or pseudoheptulose or D-altro-heptulose is a ketoheptose—a monosaccharide with seven carbon atoms and a ketonefunctional group. It is one of the few heptoses found in nature, and is found in various fruits and vegetables ranging from carrots and leeks to figs, mangos and avocados.[2][3]
It is an intermediate in respiratory and photosynthetic pathways and plays a vital role in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway.[4][5]
Studies have shown that 7-O-galloyl-D-sedoheptulose, a chemical extracted from dogwood fruit, is able to reduce pro-inflammatory markers in vivo such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein and thus might be able reduce low-level inflammation in humans.[6] While this compound contains a sedoheptulose moiety, sedoheptulose itself has not been shown to possess the same properties.
^Ogata, James N.; Kawano, Yoshihiko; Bevenue, Arthur; Casarett, Louis J. (January 1972). "Ketoheptose content of some tropical fruits". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 20 (1): 113–115. doi:10.1021/jf60179a011. PMID5059931.
^Horecker, B. L; Smyrniotis, P. Z (1953). "Transaldolase: The Formation of Fructose-6-Phosphate from Sedoheptulose-7-Phosphate". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 75 (8): 2021. doi:10.1021/ja01104a532.