Adonis amurensis Is a Promising Alternative to Haematococcus as a Resource for Natural Esterified (3S,3′S)-Astaxanthin Production

Abstract

Astaxanthin (AST) characteristics and pigment productivity of Adonis amurensis, one of the few AST-producing higher plants, have not yet been studied extensively. In this study, the geometrical and optical isomers of AST in different parts of the A. amurensis flower were determined in detail, followed by a separation of the all-trans AST using HPLC chromatography. AST extracted from the flower accounted for 1.31% of the dry weight (dw) and mainly existed in the di-esterified form (>86.5%). The highest concentration was found in the upper red part of the petal (3.31% dw). One optical isomer (3S, 3′S) of AST, with five geometrical isomers (all-trans, 9-cis, 13-cis, 15-cis, and di-cis) were observed in all parts of the flower. All-trans AST was the predominant geometrical isomer accounting for 72.5% of the total content of geometric isomers in total flower, followed by the 13-cis, and 9-cis isomers. The all-trans AST isomer was also isolated, and then purified by HPLC from the crude oily flower extract, with a 21.5% recovery yield. The cis-AST extracted from the combined androecium and gynoecium gives a very strong absorption in the UVA region due to a high level of cis, especially di-cis, isomers, suggesting a prospective use in the preparation of anti-ultraviolet agents. The production cost of AST from Adonis flowers can be as low as €388–393/kg. These observations together with other factors such as the low technology requirement for plant culturing and harvesting suggest Adonis has great potential as a resource for natural esterified (3S,3′S)-AST production when compared with Haematococcus culturing.

Optimization of microbial cell factories for astaxanthin production: Biosynthesis and regulations, engineering strategies and fermentation optimization strategies

“…Several strategies have been extensively applied for enhanced production of astaxanthin from X. dendrorhous , and the highest yield reported has reached 9.7 mg/g dry cell weight (DCW) [ 18 , 30 ]. In addition to the above mentioned microorganisms, astaxanthin biosynthesis has been detected in some plant species of the genus Adonis [ 17 , 31 ].…”

Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical potential of natural bioactive pigment: astaxanthin

“…In A. annua flower petals, the amount of AST reported is about 1% of its dry weight [ 28 , 29 ]. As per the recent studies of Li Y., AST extracted from the A. amurensis flower petals was accounted for 3.31% of the dry weight [ 30 ].…”

Astaxanthin Isomers: A Comprehensive Review of Isomerization Methods and Analytic Techniques

“…For example, Du et al (2012) quantified astaxanthin obtained from P. rhodozyma and H. pluvialis as well as that derived from chemical synthesis; Li et al (2021) also successfully isolated (3S,3′S) astaxanthin from adonis flowers. 89,95 HPLC technology has also been successfully applied in the analysis of free and esters. In 1997, researchers have successfully separated different astaxanthin esters from Haematococcus lacustris by HPLC with the mobile phase consisting of methanol (69.0%), dichloromethane (17.0%), acetonitrile (11.5%), and water (2.5%) on a C18 column.…”