Biosynthesis of Sesquiterpene Lactones in Plants and Metabolic Engineering for Their Biotechnological Production

Perassolo, Marı́a; Cardillo, Alejandra B.; Busto, Víctor Daniel; Giulietti, Ana María; Talou, Julián Rodríguez

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-78274-4_4

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…It has no adverse effects described in the literature. Antitrypanosomal, antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities are reported for cynaropicrin (4). Another compound, helenalin (5), inhibits essential factors in both cancer and inflammation, i.e., the NF-κB pathway and the transcription of inflammatory cytokines.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Structurally speaking, sesquiterpene lactones are terpenes that have in common a basic structure of 15 carbons (thus the prefix sesqui-) resulting from biosynthesis involving three isoprene units with a cyclical structure along with a fused α-methylene-γ-lactone ring [3]. Sesquiterpene synthases catalyze a common biosynthesis route for sesquiterpene lactones, based on the cyclization of farnesyl phosphate resulting from the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) and mevalonate (MVA) pathways of dimethylalyl diphosphate and isopentenyl diphosphate precursors in chloroplasts and cytosol, respectively [4]. However, sesquiterpene lactones have very different chemical structures regarding the type and position of the substituents, as well as the size of the non-lactone ring [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Applications of Sesquiterpene Lactones: A Review of Some Potential Success Cases

et al. 2020

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Sesquiterpene lactones, a vast range of terpenoids isolated from Asteraceae species, exhibit a broad spectrum of biological effects and several of them are already commercially available, such as artemisinin. Here the most recent and impactful results of in vivo, preclinical and clinical studies involving a selection of ten sesquiterpene lactones (alantolactone, arglabin, costunolide, cynaropicrin, helenalin, inuviscolide, lactucin, parthenolide, thapsigargin and tomentosin) are presented and discussed, along with some of their derivatives. In the authors’ opinion, these compounds have been neglected compared to others, although they could be of great use in developing important new pharmaceutical products. The selected sesquiterpenes show promising anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects, acting on various targets. Moreover, they exhibit antifungal, anxiolytic, analgesic, and antitrypanosomal activities. Several studies discussed here clearly show the potential that some of them have in combination therapy, as sensitizing agents to facilitate and enhance the action of drugs in clinical use. The derivatives show greater pharmacological value since they have better pharmacokinetics, stability, potency, and/or selectivity. All these natural terpenoids and their derivatives exhibit properties that invite further research by the scientific community.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%