Ectopic Expression of Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1 (PAP1) Improves the Antioxidant and Anti-Melanogenic Properties of Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) Hairy Roots

Abstract

The development of genetically engineered cell cultures has been suggested as a potential approach for the production of target compounds from medicinal plants. In this study, we generated PAP1 (production of anthocyanin pigment 1)-overexpressing ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) hairy roots to improve the production of anthocyanins, as well as the bioactivity (e.g., antioxidant and whitening activities) of ginseng. Based on differentially expressed gene analysis, we found that ectopic expression of PAP1 induced the expression of genes involved in the ‘phenylpropanoid biosynthesis’ (24 genes), and ‘flavonoid biosynthesis’ (17 genes) pathways, resulting in 191- to 341-fold increases in anthocyanin production compared to transgenic control (TC) hairy roots. Additionally, PAP1-overexpressing ginseng hairy roots exhibited an approximately seven-fold higher DPPH-free radical scavenging activity and 10-fold higher ORAC value compared to the TC. In α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-stimulated B16F10 cells, PAP1-overexpressing ginseng hairy roots strongly inhibited the accumulation of melanin by 50 to 59% compared to mock-control. Furthermore, results obtained by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, and tyrosinase inhibition assay suggested that the anti-melanogenic activity of PAP1-overexpressing ginseng hairy roots is mediated by tyrosinase activity inhibition. Taken together, our results suggested that the ectopic expression of PAP1 is an effective strategy for the enhancement of anthocyanin production, which improves the biological activities of ginseng root cultures.

Overproduction of anthocyanin in ginseng hairy roots enhances their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-elastase activities

“…In a previous study, we generated PAP1-overexpressing ginseng hairy roots using Agrobacterium rhizogenes R1601 (Jin and Hyun 2020). The anthocyanin-overproducing ginseng hairy roots (AOX) and transgenic controls (TC) were cultured on agar-solidified B5 medium at 22 °C in the dark.…”

“…Total anthocyanin content (TAC) for each extract was quantified as described by Jin and Hyun (2020). The absorbance was determined at 530 and 657 nm and the TAC was calculated as (A530 -0.25*A657) / mg of dry weight.…”

“…Although ginsenosides, triterpene saponins, are well known as major bioactive ingredients of ginseng, anthocyanins in ginseng berry have been reported to directly inhibit the activity of tyrosinase in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-stimulated B16F10 cells (Jin et al 2019). Moreover, the whitening activity of ginseng has been shown to be improved by Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1 (PAP1, Arabidopsis R2R3-MYB type transcription factor)-dependent anthocyanin accumulation in ginseng hairy roots (Jin and Hyun 2020), indicating that the accumulation of anthocyanins in ginseng roots can improve its pharmaceutical properties.…”

Variability of Polyphenolic Compounds and Biological Activities among Perilla frutescens var. crispa Genotypes

“…An oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) assay was performed using the method described in a previous study [16]. The net area under the curve (AUC) values of the standard and samples were calculated, and the values were expressed as µM of trolox equivalents (µM TE).…”

Platycodon grandiflorum extract: chemical composition and whitening, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects

“…The cells were cultured for 24 h aer exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and PGE extracts at different concentrations(10, 50, 100 mg mL À1 ). The concentrations of NO, IL-6, and TNF-a in the cell supernatant were determined using an ELISA kit, as directed by the manufacturer 23. 2.7.…”