The dioxygenase produced by Aspergillus flavus that oxidizes quercetin contains 2 moles of copper per mole of enzyme and binds at least 2 moles of substrate. The enzyme is not inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents or affected by H2O2, but is inhibited by copper-chelating agents and reducing agents. Nitrogen bases with chelating ability are more effective inhibitors than those that do not form metal chelates.The dioxygenase oxidizes flavones that possess a double bond between carbons-2 and -3 and a hydroxyl on carbon-3. Hydroxyls at other positions affect both the relative rates of enzymatic oxidation and the concentration of substrate required to attain half maximal rate (Km). The evidence indicates that the substrate binds to the copper of the enzyme via the 3-hydroxyl and 4-carbonyl groups of the substrate. A possible mechanism for the reaction is presented.

2,3-Dihydro-2-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5(E)-propenylbenzofuran (conocarpan) (1), 2-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5(E)- propenylbenzofuran (eupomatenoid-5) (2), and 2-(4'- hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5(E)-propenylbenzofuran (eupomatenoid-6) (3), three known neolignans found for the first time in a species of the Piperaceae, were isolated from Piper decurrens via insecticidal bioassay-guided fractionation, along with a small quantity of a new related compound, 2,3-dihydro-5-formyl-2-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methylbenzofuran (decurrenal) (4), and 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2(E)-hexadecen-1-ol (trans-phytol).

Butyrivibrio sp. C3 degrades rutin anaerobically to yield phloroglucinol, carbon dioxide, 3,4-dihydroxy-benzaldehyde, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. The sugars are first released by intracellular glycosidases and then the heterocyclic ring of the aglycone undergoes hydrolytic cleavage. The glycosides of quercetin added to the medium are readily metabolized, but the aglycone is not.

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