Systematic Mining of Generally Recognized as Safe
(GRAS) Flavor Chemicals for Bioactive Compounds
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Abstract
Bioactive food compounds can be both
therapeutically and nutritionally
relevant. Screening strategies are widely employed to identify bioactive
compounds from edible plants. Flavor additives contained in the so-called
FEMA GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list of approved flavoring
ingredients is an additional source of potentially bioactive compounds.
This work used the principles of molecular similarity to identify
compounds with potential mood-modulating properties. The ability of
certain GRAS molecules to inhibit histone deacetylase-1 (HDAC1), proposed
as an important player in mood modulation, was assayed. Two GRAS chemicals
were identified as HDAC1 inhibitors in the micromolar range, results
similar to what was observed for the structurally related mood prescription
drug valproic acid. Additional studies on bioavailability, toxicity
at higher concentrations, and off-target effects are warranted. The
methodology described in this work could be employed to identify potentially
bioactive flavor chemicals present in the FEMA GRAS list