Bioconversion of essential oil components of Perilla frutescens by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The essential oil of perilla (Perilla frutescens) contains volatile low molecular weight compounds such as monoterpenes and phenylpropenes. The composition of the essential oil is classified into about ten chemotypes. The biosynthesis of these constituents is strictly controlled genetically. Among the compounds contained in perilla essential oil, the bioconversion of pure compounds such as perillaldehyde, limonene, and citral has been reported, but that of many other components has not. In addition, changes in the volatile components of raw plant material during brewing have also been investigated for wine and beer. In this study, we examined the bioconversion of perilla essential oil components by Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the brewing of liquor with perilla leaves. S. cerevisiae was added to the ethanol–water extract of dried leaves of P. frutescens and P. citriodora for seven essential oil types: perillaldehyde type, piperitenone type, perillene type, perillaketone type, elsholtziaketone type, citral type, and phenylpropanoid type. Volatile compounds in the reaction mixtures were analyzed by solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-GC–MS, revealing bioconversion of perillaldehyde, isoegomaketone, neral, and geranial by S. cerevisiae. Analysis of the conversion products suggests that they were formed by the reduction of C=C bonds and aldehydes, as well as by esterification and dehydration reactions

Two types of alcohol dehydrogenase from Perilla can form citral and perillaldehyde.

Studies on the biosynthesis of oil compounds in Perilla will help in understanding regulatory systems of secondary metabolites and in elucidating reaction mechanisms for natural product synthesis. In this study, two types of alcohol dehydrogenases, an aldo-keto reductase (AKR) and a geraniol dehydrogenase (GeDH), which are thought to participate in the biosynthesis of perilla essential oil components, such as citral and perillaldehyde, were isolated from three pure lines of perilla. These enzymes shared high amino acid sequence identity within the genus Perilla, and were expressed regardless of oil type. The overall reaction from geranyl diphosphate to citral was performed in vitro using geraniol synthase and GeDH to form a large proportion of citral and relatively little geraniol as reaction products. The biosynthetic pathway from geranyl diphosphate to citral, the main compound of citral-type perilla essential oil, was established in this study

Cloning and Expression of a Perilla frutescens Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Catalyzing the Hydroxylation of Phenylpropenes

Phenylpropanoid volatile components in plants are useful and valuable not only as flavorings, but also as medicines and food supplements. The pharmacological actions and toxicities of these compounds have been well studied but their synthetic pathways are generally unclear. In this study, we mined expressed sequence tag libraries of pure strains of perilla maintained for over 30 years for their oil type and conducted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of the perilla oils to confirm the presence of monohydrates speculated to be intermediates of the phenylpropene synthetics pathways. These putative monohydrate intermediates and their regioisomers were synthesized to identify the reaction products of assays of heterologously expressed enzymes. An enzyme involved in the synthesis of a phenylpropanoid volatile component was identified in perilla. Expression of this enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that it is a member of the cytochrome P450 family and catalyzes the introduction of a hydroxy group onto myristicin to form an intermediate of dillapiole. The enzyme had high sequence similarity to a CYP71D family enzyme, high regiospecificity, and low substrate specificity. This study may aid the elucidation of generally unexploited biosynthetic pathways of phenylpropanoid volatile components

Stem Anatomical Variation of Genus Gyrinops (Thymelaeaceae) in Sulawesi

The purpose of this study was to determine the variation of the stem anatomical structure (i.e. cortex: sclerenchyma, phloem; xylem: trachea, rays, interxylary phloem and wood parenchyma; and pith) of Gyrinops (Thymelaeaceae) in Sulawesi. The method of this research was descriptive exploration. Stem agarwood sample came from several regions areas of Sulawesi which were collected by Agarwood Research Center Laboratory, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Mataram. The slide methods were used fresh slides. The results of this research showed there were 1 species of Gyrinops decipiens  and 3 species of Gyrinops sp., with various anatomical characters in G. decipiens  and Gyrinops sp. in terms of the position, diameter and percentage of pith thickness; cortical sclerenchyma pattern and arrangement of wood parenchyma. There were also variations in cortical thickness; diameter, frequency and arrangement of trachea; frequency of rays; diameter, and interxylary phloem frequency; pith diameter; and the position of Ca-Oxalate in Gyrinops sp. 3 with Gyrinops sp. 1 and 2, while Gyrinops sp. 2 with Gyrinops sp. 1 there were found 5 variations such as the diameter, frequency and arrangement of trachea; arrangement of rays and interxylary phloem length

Ethnobotanical study of Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg.) Domke from Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia as an effort in supporting the conservation of agarwood-producing species

307-315Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg.) Domke is one of the eaglewood species that is distributed especially in the East region of Indonesia, including Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, and it grows in the natural habitat or is cultivated. The aim of this study was to explore different uses of G. versteegii, and reveal important ethnobotanical aspects of G. versteegii in Lombok Island. Ethnobotanical methods applied in this study included participatory observation, interview, documentation, and verification using herbarium specimens. The total reported use (RU) of G. versteegii is 19, where the stem has the highest percentage in the type of utilization. This result means that generally, G. versteegii has several potential uses in local communities that could be revealed, developed and conserved. Conservation efforts need to be considered to maintain the availability and diversity of agarwood-producing species, as well as to ensure the preservation of the natural environment where it grows

Ethnobotanical study of Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg.) Domke from Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia as an effort in supporting the conservation of agarwood-producing species

Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg.) Domke is one of the eaglewood species that is distributed especially in the East region of Indonesia, including Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, and it grows in the natural habitat or is cultivated. The aim of this study was to explore different uses of G. versteegii, and reveal important ethnobotanical aspects of G. versteegii in Lombok Island. Ethnobotanical methods applied in this study included participatory observation, interview, documentation, and verification using herbarium specimens. The total reported use (RU) of G. versteegii is 19, where the stem has the highest percentage in the type of utilization. This result means that generally, G. versteegii has several potential uses in local communities that could be revealed, developed and conserved. Conservation efforts need to be considered to maintain the availability and diversity of agarwood-producing species, as well as to ensure the preservation of the natural environment where it grows

日本産シソ属野生種の分類学的再検討

[論文] Article

Medicinal uses, thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography profiles of plant species from Abomey-Calavi and Dantokpa Market in the Republic of Benin

This study provides a list of popular medicinal plants found in southern Benin (West Africa) with their mode of use, diseases treated, and thin-layer and high-performance liquid chromatography profiles. The list includes 10 of the most widely used plant species from Dantokpa Market (biggest market located in Cotonou) and Abomey-Calavi in the Republic of Benin. Species were identified by the Laboratory of Botany and Applied Ecology, University of Abomey-Calavi. Voucher specimens were deposited in the herbarium of the Experimental Station for Medicinal Plants, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Japan, and in the National Herbarium of Benin, University of Abomey-Calavi. The list was as follows—Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae), Caesalpinia bonduc (Caesalpiniaceae), Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae), Garcinia kola (Clusiaceae), Khaya senegalensis (Meliaceae), Monodora myristica (Annonaceae), Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae), Talinum fruticosum (Talinaceae), Tridax procumbens (Asteraceae), and Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae)

Appetite-enhancing Effects of trans -Cinnamaldehyde, Benzylacetone and 1-Phenyl-2-butanone by Inhalation

Fragrance in the air and odours of foods and drinks are reported to affect feeding behaviours of humans and other animals. Many previous studies focusing on the relationship between fragrance and appetite have described a reduction of food intake by fragrance administration to help prevent lifestyle diseases. Aromatic herbal medicines, such as cinnamon bark and fennel fruit, are considered to have appetite-enhancing effects and they are often blended in stomachics for relief of asitia and gastric distress in Japan. These fragrant herbal medicines contain many essential oils and their fragrances are hypothesised to be active substances. In this study, food intake and the expression of neuropeptide Y and proopiomelanocortin in the hypothalamus after inhalation of fragrant compounds or essential oils were investigated in mice. Food intake was increased 1.2-fold and the neuropeptide Y mRNA expression in the hypothalamus was increased significantly in mice that inhaled trans-cinnamaldehyde, benzylacetone or 1-phenyl-2-butanone, compared with the control group. These compounds might be effective for treating loss of appetite (anorexia) or eating disorders in elderly and infirm people via a non-invasive route of administration, namely, inhalation