Microbial synthesis of plant polyphenols / 生物工程学报

Plant polyphenols are phenylpropanoid derivatives including phenolic acids, stilbenes, curcumins and flavonoids. These compounds display a variety of biological and pharmacological activities such as antioxidation, vasorelaxation, anti-coagulation, anti-inflammation, anti-tumor and anti-virus, conferring a huge application potential in the sectors of drugs, foods, cosmetics, and chemicals. Microorganisms have become important hosts for heterologous synthesis of natural products due to the advantages of fast growth, easiness of culture and industrial operation. In recent years, the development of synthetic biology has boosted the microbial synthesis of plant natural products, achieving substantial progress. In this review, we summarize the synthesis of plant polyphenols in engineered Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other microorganisms equipped with the designed biosynthetic pathways of polyphenols. We also discuss the optimization strategies such as precursor engineering, dynamic regulation, and co-cultivation to improve the production of polyphenols and propose future prospects for polyphenol pathway engineering.

The Mitigating Effect of Jatropha curcas L. Latex against Genotoxicity Induced by Doxorubicin

Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) is a multiple purpose lacticiferous plant with potential for biodiesel production and medicinal uses. There is in the literature different analyses about the toxic and cytogenotoxic effects of J. curcas extracts, but few information about latex toxicity. In addition, few models were employed to evaluate the toxicity response to J. curcas latex, and the toxicity in in vivo mammal’s model has not been tested yet. The cytotoxic, mutagenic and antimutagenic potential of J. curcas latex were investigated using mouse bone marrow erythrocytes. The results indicated a cytotoxic and mutagenic potential of this latex to mammalian cells. But, when J. curcas latex was co-administrated with doxorubicin (DXR – chemotherapy medication), a reduction in the number of micronuclei was observed, indicating an interaction between J. curcas latex and DXR. The interaction of latex with DXR can cause a reduction in the activity of this drug and impair the treatment of its users. Moreover, there is a lack of data on herb–drug interactions, what should be more investigated to safeguard the wellbeing of patients.