The molecule is a carboxylic ester that is the 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl ester of (3S)-4-formyl-3-(2-oxoethyl)hex-4-enoic acid. Oleocanthal is found in olive oil but it is not clear whether the natural product is a mixture of E/Z isomers or a single isomer as the two isomers readily interconvert in solution; most pharmacological studies will have been performed using a mixture. It has a role as a plant metabolite, a cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor, a cyclooxygenase 1 inhibitor, an antioxidant, a neuroprotective agent, an antineoplastic agent, an apoptosis inducer, a nutraceutical, a Hsp90 inhibitor, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and an anti-inflammatory agent. It is a dialdehyde, a member of phenols, a carboxylic ester and an enal. It derives from a 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethanol.
2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl (E,3S)-4-formyl-3-(2-oxoethyl)hex-4-enoate