Breeding Buckwheat for Increased Levels of Rutin, Quercetin and Other Bioactive Compounds with Potential Antiviral Effects

Abstract

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.) are sources of many bioactive compounds, such as rutin, quercetin, emodin, fagopyrin and other (poly)phenolics. In damaged or milled grain under wet conditions, most of the rutin in common and Tartary buckwheat is degraded to quercetin by rutin-degrading enzymes (e.g., rutinosidase). From Tartary buckwheat varieties with low rutinosidase activity it is possible to prepare foods with high levels of rutin, with the preserved initial levels in the grain. The quercetin from rutin degradation in Tartary buckwheat grain is responsible in part for inhibition of α-glucosidase in the intestine, which helps to maintain normal glucose levels in the blood. Rutin and emodin have the potential for antiviral effects. Grain embryos are rich in rutin, so breeding buckwheat with the aim of producing larger embryos may be a promising strategy to increase the levels of rutin in common and Tartary buckwheat grain, and hence to improve its nutritional value.

Breeding Buckwheat for Nutritional Quality in the Czech Republic

“…On the other side, according to several authors [ 12 , 41 , 42 ], buckwheat grains contain high-quality protein rich in lysine and a balanced content of other amino acids with a biological value of up to 93%. However, the digestibility of buckwheat proteins in the small and large intestine is reduced by the polyphenols naturally present in the grains [ 25 , 43 ]. In this study, protein content was negatively correlated with catechin (−0.39) and epicatechin (−0.39), and weakly negatively correlated with PH (−0.17).…”

“…Of the flavonoids studied, the highest amount was confirmed for the flavonol rutin in buckwheat seeds across all samples studied. Rutin or vitamin P is the quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and is valued for its antioxidant, angioprotective, antibacterial and hepatoprotective properties [ 47 ] with potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease [ 50 ] and antiviral activity along with emodin [ 43 ]. Almost all the accessions in the collection were characterized by higher rutin content in 2020, with the exception of 11 accessions ( Figure 3 ).…”

In Silico Evaluation of Iranian Medicinal Plant Phytoconstituents as Inhibitors against Main Protease and the Receptor-Binding Domain of SARS-CoV-2

“…Rutin is another candidate compound that can be used to treat COVID-19 as the antiviral activity of this molecule against SARS-CoV-2 has been reported. Rutin is a promising inhibitor of M pro and other protein targets of the SARS-CoV-2 virus [ 30 , 31 ]. Rutin, a medicinally significant flavonoid, is one of nature’s finest antioxidants [ 32 ].…”

A Comparative Study of Rutin and Rutin Glycoside: Antioxidant Activity, Anti-Inflammatory Effect, Effect on Platelet Aggregation and Blood Coagulation

“…Rutin has been found as a component of many plants [ 31 , 32 ]. It is one of the commercially available flavonoids, but the application of rutin has been limited (especially in food and beverage) due to its extremely low water solubility.…”