Browsing by Subject "Elicitors"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Biotechnological production of β‑carotene using plant in vitro cultures
    (Springer, 2022-07-14) Almagro, Lorena; Correa Sabater, José Manuel; Sabater Jara, Ana Belén; Pedreño, María Angeles; Biología Vegetal
    β-carotene is an orange carotenoid often found in leaves as well as in fruits, flowers, and roots. A member of the tetraterpene family, this 40-carbon isoprenoid has a conjugated double-bond structure, which is responsible for some of its most remarkable properties. In plants, β-carotene functions as an antenna pigment and antioxidant, providing protection against photooxidative damage caused by strong UV-B light. In humans, β-carotene acts as a precursor of vitamin A, prevents skin damage by solar radiation, and protects against several types of cancer such as oral, colon and prostate. Due to its wide spectrum of applications, the global market for β-carotene is expanding, and the demand can no longer be met by extraction from plant raw materials. Considerable research has been dedicated to finding more efficient production alternatives based on biotechnological systems. This review provides a detailed overview of the strategies used to increase the production of β-carotene in plant in vitro cultures, with particular focus on culture conditions, precursor feeding and elicitation, and the application of metabolic engineering.
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    Differential response of phenol metabolism associated with antioxidative network in elicited grapevine suspension cultured cells under saline conditions
    (MDPI, 2022-02-15) Almagro Romero, Lorena; Calderón, Antonio A.; Pedreño, María Angeles; Ferrer, María Ángeles; Biología Vegetal
    Highly productive trans-resveratrol (t-R) grapevine suspension cultured cells (SCC) and two effective elicitors, methyl jasmonate (MJ) and randomly methylated β-cyclodextrins (CDs), were used to analyze the extent to which salt treatments alter the production of bioactive phenolic compounds. The expression/activity profile of the enzymes involved in phenol metabolism and an-tioxidant networks were also studied. A marked extracellular accumulation of phenolic compounds, especially t-R, was found in SCC elicited with CDs and/or MJ under saline conditions. However, the treatments with MJ alone and all those combined with salt favored the intracellular accumulation of catechin and ferulic acid. The salt-induced accumulation of phenolics was correlated with the higher total antioxidant capacity values found in cells, suggesting that cellular redox homeostasis under saline conditions was largely maintained by increasing phenolic compound production. These higher levels of phenolics found in elicited cells under saline conditions fit well with the highest activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme activities were boosted in treatments with MJ and/or in those combined with salt and decreased in those treated with CDs. These results suggest a differential response of the antioxidative network to the presence of elicitors under saline conditions.
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    Radish sprouts : Characterization and elicitation of novel varieties rich in anthocyanins
    (Elsevier, 2015-01-16) Baenas, Nieves; Ferreres, Federico; García-Viguera, Cristina; Moreno, Diego A.; Tecnología de Alimentos, Nutrición y Bromatología
    The anthocyanin profile of two varieties of red radish sprouts (Raphanus sativus), cv. China rose and Rambo, were studied using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn and HPLC-DAD. The most abundant type of anthocyanins was cyanidin and its derivatives, with one or two acylated groups, with qualitative and quantitative differences among varieties. Some compounds were identified for the first time in both varieties, as we are concern. Radish sprouts were treated during germination (day 3 to 8) using methyl jasmonate, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, sucrose and glucose as elicitors in order to enrich their total anthocyanins content (TAC). An increase in TAC was achieved by 50% in China rose radish sprouts and by 30% in Rambo red radish after glucose treatment. Methyl jasmonate and sucrose also contribute to enhance TAC. Enriching natural food in anthocyanins may contribute to sustain their regular intake with preventive and therapeutic roles in a number of human diseases.
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    Recent trends in the biotechnological production of tocopherols using in vitro cultures
    (Springer, 2021-03-27) Almagro, Lorena; Sabater Jara, Ana Belén; Belchí Navarro, Sarai; Pedreño, María Ángeles; Biología Vegetal
    Tocopherols, a class of terpenoid compounds with vitamin-E activity, are produced by photosynthetic organisms, including cyanobacteria, algae, and plants. The chemical structure of tocopherols consists of a hydrophobic prenyl tail linked to a polar chromanol head. Depending on the position and number of methyl groups on the chromanol head, tocopherols are classed as a, b, c, and d isomers. Tocopherols play a key role in plant defense, and have bioactive properties beneficial for human health, being reported to prevent atherosclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, eyesight degeneration, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. The high market demand for tocopherols calls for new strategies to improve their supply from sustainable sources, and a promising approach is to develop biotechnological factories with tocopherol-producing plant and microalgae in vitro cultures. This review provides a detailed overview of different strategies devised to enhance tocopherol production using such systems, with particular focus on elicitation and feeding, culture conditions, and the application of metabolic engineering.