Theobromine

A chocolate bar and melted chocolate. Chocolate is made from the cacao bean, which is a natural source of theobromine.

Theobromine, also known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, and is therefore found in chocolate. It is in the methylxanthine class of chemical compounds, which also includes the similar compounds theophylline and caffeine. Despite its name, the compound contains no bromine — theobromine is derived from Theobroma, the name of the genus of the cacao tree, (which itself is made up of the Greek roots theo ("God") and broma ("food"), meaning "food of the gods") with the suffix -ine given to alkaloids and other basic nitrogen-containing compounds.

Theobromine is a water insoluble, crystalline, bitter powder; the colour has been listed as either white or colourless. It has a similar, but lesser, effect to caffeine, making it a lesser homologue. Theobromine is an isomer of theophylline as well as paraxanthine. Theobromine is categorized as a dimethyl xanthine, which means it is a xanthine with two methyl groups.

Theobromine was first isolated from the seeds of the cacao tree in 1878 and then shortly afterwards was synthesized from xanthine by Hermann Emil Fischer.

Theobromine Clinical Studies

• Established and evolving medical therapies for claudication in patients with peripheral arterial disease.
• Pentoxifylline affects cytokine reaction in cardiopulmonary bypass.
• Catabolic pathways and biotechnological applications of microbial caffeine degradation.
• Contribution of hepatic adenosine A1 receptors to renal dysfunction associated with acute liver injury in rats.

Theobromine News Articles

• Ingredient present in chocolate could help stop persistent coughs
• Chocolate could be cough medicine
• Theobromine - Cocoa Mulch Warning

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