Free triterpenols and sterols produced by in vitro cultures and laticifer cells from Euphorbia characias

Euphorbia characias as Bioenergy Crop: a Study of Variations in Energy Value Components According to Phenology and Water Status

“…Euphorbia latex consists of lipids, rubbers, resins, and sugars as well as several proteins and many different enzymes such as peroxidases, proteases, esterases, phosphatases, and lipases . Within this genera, the perennial shrub E. characias commonly grows on rocky slopes, along road shoulders, and in open grounds in Mediterranean regions and reaches a height of more than 1 m. Phytochemical studies into the latex and shoots of E. characias have shown the presence of varied metabolites, such as jatrophane, ent -atisane, ent -abietane, ent -pimarane, and kaurane type diterpenoids, besides esterified or free fatty acids, sterols, tetracyclic and pentacyclic triterpenols, and two quercetin glycosides. − The chemical diversity of isoprenoid constituents in this genus has been considered to be of biological and chemotaxonomic interest . In addition, and similarly to other Euphorbia spp., E. characias has drawn much attention as a potential bioenergy crop due to its substantial amount of latex, rich in hydrocarbon-like compounds, and its ability to grow in large areas of semiarid lands. ,− …”