chicoric-acid and cynarine

Caffeic acid derivatives (CADs) are a group of bioactive compounds which are produced in Echinacea species especially Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida. Echinacea is a popular herbal medicine used in the treatment of common cold and it is also a prominent dietary supplement used throughout the world. Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid (5-O-caffeoylquinic acid), caftaric acid (2-O-caffeoyltartaric acid), cichoric acid (2, 3-O-dicaffeoyltartaric acid), cynarin, and echinacoside are some of the important CADs which have varied pharmacological activities. The concentrations of these bioactive compounds are species specific and also they vary considerably with the cultivated Echinacea species due to geographical location, stage of development, time of harvest, and growth conditions. Due to these reasons, plant cell and organ cultures have become attractive alternative for the production of biomass and caffeic acid derivatives. Adventitious and hairy roots have been induced in E. pupurea and E. angustifolia, and suspension cultures have been established from flask to bioreactor scale for the production of biomass and CADs. Tremendous progress has been made in this area; various bioprocess methods and strategies have been developed for constant high-quality productivity of biomass and secondary products. This review is aimed to discuss biotechnological methods and approaches employed for the sustainable production of CADs.

Topics: Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Caffeic Acids; Cinnamates; Echinacea; Glycosides; Succinates

The production of new varieties and higher quality products from Echinacea spp. requires a greater understanding of the regulation of plant growth and the production of specific phytometabolites. The current studies were designed to generate elite varieties of Echinacea purpurea based on regeneration efficiency and chemical profile. Clonal propagation of seedling-derived regenerants and screening for antioxidant potential and concentrations of caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, cichoric acid, cynarin, and echinacoside identified 58 unique germplasm lines. Chemical profiles varied significantly among germplasm lines but were consistent within clones of each line. In temporary immersion bioreactors, exogenous application of the auxin indolebutyric acid significantly increased the cichoric acid and caftaric acid concentration in the root tissues. Together, these demonstrate the potential for selective breeding of elite, highly regenerative, chemically superior, clonally propagated varieties from the naturally occurring genetic variability in the seed populations of E. purpurea.

Topics: Caffeic Acids; Chlorogenic Acid; Cinnamates; Echinacea; Free Radical Scavengers; Genetic Variation; Indoleacetic Acids; Indoles; Morphogenesis; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Roots; Regeneration; Seedlings; Seeds; Succinates

Quantitative phytochemical variation was determined from roots and inflorescences of native plant populations in the genus Echinacea. Specimens were collected in situ throughout the natural range of each putative taxon and transplanted to greenhouse cultivation. Ethanolic extracts from individual plants were separated by reversed-phase HPLC to quantify the alkamides, polyenes/ynes, and phenolics, and then grouped by age and taxonomically, according to a recent morphometric taxonomic revision of the genus. Canonical discriminant analysis revealed that cichoric acid, the diene alkamides 1-3 and 7, and ketoalkene 24 were the best taxonomic markers. Mean content for each of 26 phytochemicals revealed useful agronomic information, such as those varieties and organs with the highest accumulations, as well as the optimal age and growth conditions for each variety. The highest amounts of cichoric acid were measured from the older, wild inflorescences of E. pallida var.sanguinea, whereas the highest quantities of the alkamides 1-3 and 7 were present in roots of wild and transplanted E. purpurea. Baseline phytochemical data and chromatographic profiles for all types of wild Echinacea may be used for protection of wild stands, germplasm identification, and crop improvement.

Topics: Caffeic Acids; Chlorogenic Acid; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cinnamates; Echinacea; Ethanol; Phenols; Plant Extracts; Plant Roots; Plant Structures; Species Specificity; Succinates; Tartrates

A reversed-phase HPLC method was developed using a computer simulation program for the identification of dried roots of Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida and Parthenium integrifolium. Hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds were analysed simultaneously leading to a two-fold decrease in analysis time compared to traditional HPLC methods.

Topics: Asteraceae; Caffeic Acids; Chlorogenic Acid; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cinnamates; Echinacea; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Glycosides; Plant Extracts; Plant Roots; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Succinates; Tartrates

Current pharmacological agents for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection include drugs targeted against HIV reverse transcriptase and HIV protease. An understudied therapeutic target is HIV integrase, an essential enzyme that mediates integration of the HIV genome into the host chromosome. The dicaffeoylquinic acids (DCQAs) and the dicaffeoyltartaric acids (DCTAs) have potent activity against HIV integrase in vitro and prevent HIV replication in tissue culture. However, their specificity against HIV integrase in cell culture has been questioned. Thus, the ability of the DCQAs and DCTAs to inhibit binding of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 to CD4 and their activities against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and HIV RNase H were studied. The DCQAs and DCTAs inhibited HIV-1 integrase at concentrations between 150 and 840 nM. They inhibited HIV replication at concentrations between 2 and 12 microM. Their activity against reverse transcriptase ranged from 7 microM to greater than 100 microM. Concentrations that inhibited gp120 binding to CD4 exceeded 80 microM. None of the compounds blocked HIV-1 RNase H by 50% at concentrations exceeding 80 microM. Furthermore, when the effects of the DCTAs on reverse transcription in acutely infected cells were measured, they were found to have no activity. Therefore, the DCQAs and DCTAs exhibit > 10- to > 100-fold specificity for HIV integrase, and their activity against integrase in biochemical assays is consistent with their observed anti-HIV activity in tissue culture. Thus, the DCQAs and DCTAs are a potentially important class of HIV inhibitors that act at a site distinct from that of current HIV therapeutic agents.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Caffeic Acids; Chlorogenic Acid; Cinnamates; HIV Envelope Protein gp120; HIV Integrase; HIV Integrase Inhibitors; HIV Reverse Transcriptase; HIV-1; Humans; Succinates; Tartrates