Ecdysteroids: Production in Plant in Vitro Cultures
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Phytochem Rev DOI 10.1007/s11101-016-9483-z Ecdysteroids: production in plant in vitro cultures Barbara Thiem . Małgorzata Kikowska . Michał P. Malin´ski . Dariusz Kruszka . Marta Napierała . Ewa Florek Received: 26 April 2016 / Accepted: 18 November 2016 Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Ecdysteroids are secondary metabolites, suggested as alternatives for the production of plant widely distributed in the animal and plant kingdoms. biomass rich in pharmaceutically active ecdysteroids. They have a wide range of pharmacological effects in Moreover, the use of common biotechnological vertebrates, including mammals, most of which are strategies, such as elicitation or precursor feeding, beneficial for humans. Therefore, they have become may further increase the yield and improve production compounds of interest for the pharmaceutical industry of these compounds. In this paper, we describe general due to their adaptogenic, anabolic, hypoglycaemic, information about ecdysteroids: their structure, hypocholesterolaemic and antimicrobial activities, biosynthesis, distribution, role in plants, and we which are still being researched. Nowadays, ecdys- review recent studies on micropropagation of ecdys- teroids are present as active ingredients in bodybuild- teroid-producing plants and cell cultures, and potential ing supplements. Because of their complex structures, ability of ecdysteroids enhancement in in vitro their chemical synthesis seems unprofitable and cultures. impractical. Due to high content of ecdysteroids in many plants, they are primarily obtained by extraction Keywords Ecdysteroids Á Elicitation Á In vitro of the plant material. Plant in vitro cultures provide an cultures Á Plant biotechnology Á Precursor feeding alternative source of these compounds, helping to avoid problems associated with field production— Abbreviations such as variable yield or dependence on environmental 2,4-D 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid factors, as well as limited availability of natural 20E 20-Hydroxyecdysone resources. Plant cell and tissue cultures may be 2iP N6-(2-isopentyl)adenine B5 Gamborg medium BAP 6-Benzylaminopurine B. Thiem (&) Á M. Kikowska Á M. P. Malin´ski Á GA3 Gibberellic acid D. Kruszka HPLC High-performance liquid chromatography Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Plant IAA Indole-3-acetic acid Biotechnology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, IBA Indole-3-butyric acid 14 S´w. Marii Magdaleny Str., 61-861 Poznan, Poland e-mail: [email protected] Kin Kinetin MeJA Methyl jasmonate M. Napierała Á E. Florek MS Murashige & Skoog medium Department of Toxicology, Poznan University of Medical NAA Naphthalene-1-acetic acid Sciences, 30 Dojazd Str., 60-631 Poznan, Poland 123 Phytochem Rev polB Polypodine B 3-phosphate (via G3P-Pyr or non-mevalonate path- TDZ Thidiazurone way). Thereafter, isoprene units condensed to squa- TLC Thin layer chromatography lene undergo epoxidation and cyclization to WPM Woody plant medium lanosterol. As the majority of ecdysteroids is based YE Yeast extract on C27 cholest-7-en-6-one backbone, subsequent steps of their biosynthesis include conversion to cholesterol, dehydrogenation to 7-dehydrocholesterol and further molecular modifications, and, most impor- Introduction tantly, hydroxylation at various carbon atoms (Dinan 2001; Baltaev 2000; Festucci-Buselli et al. 2008; Ecdysteroids, triterpenoid compounds playing vital Ikekawa et al. 2013). Typical ecdysteroids are 20-hy- roles in arthropods and plants, are a group of droxyecdysone (20E) and polypodine B (polB) chemicals with interesting biological activities in (Fig. 1). In ecdysteroids such as rubrosterone, the mammals that should be furtherly elucidated (Dinan aliphatic side chain attached to D ring is cleaved, 2001; Lafont and Dinan 2003; Dinan and Lafont 2006; leaving a carbonyl group (Fig. 1). The synthesis of Speranza 2010). Due to limited availability of these 20-hydroxyecdysone is shown in Fig. 2. compounds from natural sources and unprof- Relating to the scope of this article, it has to be itable chemical synthesis, plant in vitro cultures offer noted that a significant portion of knowledge on the biomass production rich in ecdysteroids. Generally, biosynthesis of ecdysteroids has been acquired thanks plant tissue cultures are a biotechnological technique to research conducted on plant in vitro cultures highly regarded for its usefulness as a sustainable (Fujimoto et al. 2000; Ohyama et al. 1999; Okuzumi source of genetically uniform plant material and the et al. 2003). possibility of rapid, clonal propagation of plants, regardless of environmental factors. Uniformity of the plant material also ensures the uniformity of its The diversity and distribution of ecdysteroids chemical composition. In case of medicinal plants, it is particularly important to provide a homogenous In both plants and animals, the most predominant source of chemicals with biological activity. Less ecdysteroids are 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and poly- known chemicals produced by rare or endangered podine B (polB) (Dinan and Lafont 2006). Screening plants can be therefore obtained from plant tissue research on numerous species of plants revealed a cultures and their activity can be studied (Karup- considerably greater diversity of ecdysteroid deriva- pusamy 2009). This review summarizes examples of tives in plants than in arthropods. While insects in vitro ecdysteroid production and presents diverse produce mostly 20-hydroxyecdysone and alpha-ecdy- techniques that can significantly increase their yield. sone as physiological hormones, a single species of a plant typically contains 20-hydroxyecdysone as the major component and a complex mixture of struc- turally-related ecdysteroids in small quantities (Ba´th- The structure and biosynthesis of ecdysteroids ori et al. 1999; Festucci-Buselli et al. 2008). The most common derivatives contain additional Ecdysteroids are sterols chemically related to triter- hydroxyl groups. Deoxy-derivatives and compounds penoids and therefore share most steps of the biosyn- containing additional methyl groups are also found. thetic pathway with cholesterol, which is also The presence of numerous hydroxyl groups enables considered their direct precursor. The important the occurrence of diverse ecdysteroid conjugates, such intermediates are isoprenoid units IPP (isopentenyl as acetate and benzoate esters, glycosides and other pyrophosphate) and DMAPP (dimethylallyl pyrophos- various derivatives, such as acetonides. Derivatives in phate), which typically are the products of mevalonate which the side chain is cyclized into a lactone or acetal pathway, starting from acetyl-CoA as the basic are also reported. Another class of ecdysteroids is building block. Higher plants are also able to synthe- represented by rubrosterone, containing a carbonyl size isoprenoids from pyruvate and glycerylaldehyde- group instead of aliphatic side chain (Baltaev 2000; 123 Phytochem Rev ABOH HO OH O H HO HO H OH H OH HO HO R H O O Fig. 1 Structures of the most common ecdysteroids A 20-hydroxyecdysone (R=H) and polypodine B (R=OH) B rubrosterone, an ecdysteroid without aliphatic side chain O HO CH O mevalonate pathway 3 mevalonate pathway CoA S CH3 HOHO - - CH3 O O O P - P O H C O OH 2 O H C O O HO 3 non-mevalonate pathway O O + P - - O O OH CH3 O O OH O P - P O H C O 3 O O lanosterol squalene H C 3 OH CH OH 3 CH H 3 CH3 H H3C H H H HO OH HO H OH cholesterol 7-dehydrocholesterol HO H 20-hydroxyecdysone O Fig. 2 The synthesis of 20-hydroxyecdysone Festucci-Buselli et al. 2008; Mamadalieva 2012; to be excluded. Research has shown that the toxicity of Mamadalieva et al. 2014). ecdysteroids in mammals is very low, with LD50 for 20-hydroxyecdysone estimated above 6 g kg-1 of body mass. One of the first pharmacological effects The effects of ecdysteroids in mammals attributed to ecdysteroids was significant increase of protein synthesis in rat liver polysomes by direct Because of their disruptive effects on insect physiol- stimulation of translation (Lafont and Dinan 2003; ogy, ecdysteroids were considered to be used as Ba´thori and Pongracz 2005; Dinan and Lafont 2006; insecticides, but any harmful effects on mammals had Festucci-Buselli et al. 2008). 123 Phytochem Rev Ecdysteroids were reported to affect metabolism of As a result, the possibility that these compounds acted three main groups of nutrients—proteins, carbohydrates as hormones in plants was rather excluded. It is now and lipids. Ecdysteroids also reduce hyperglycaemia known that the most probable role of ecdysteroids is induced by glucagon. Several other effects that have been acting as phytoalexins and protecting plants from reported include nephroprotective and hepatoprotective phytophagous insects and soil-dwelling nematodes activities, increase in bile secretion and restoration of (Dinan 2001; Festucci-Buselli et al. 2008). Moreover, normal glomerular filtration rate (Lafont and Dinan 2003; physical damage to Spinacia oleracea L. roots, as well Dinan and Lafont 2006;Ba´thori and Pongracz 2005; as treatment with plant stress-signaling molecules Festucci-Buselli et al. 2008;Grafetal.2014). (such as jasmonates), induces production of ecdys- Ecdysteroids seem to have beneficial effect on teroids (Schmelz et al. 1998). human skin. Apart from improving its condition, Overall, these data suggest that ecdysteroids are ecdysteroids act as inhibitors of skin collagenase and produced by plants in response to general environ- accelerate the healing of small wounds