High throughput profiling of tocochromanols in leaves and seeds of Arabidopsis and Maize

Abstract

Background Tocochromanols are a group of lipid-soluble antioxidants produced by all plants and include the tocopherols, which are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom, and the biosynthetically-related compounds tocotrienols, which along with tocopherols commonly occur in seed of monocots. Most tocochromanols have some level of vitamin E activity, with α-tocopherol being the highest, and as such are essential nutrients in the human diet. Tocochromanols are particularly abundant in seeds and are critical for maintaining seed longevity and proper germination and as seed oils are a major component of the human diet, they are an important source of dietary vitamin E. In vegetative tissues, tocochromanols are important components in plant responses to stressful environments and can accumulate to high levels in response to various stresses including high light, heat, and dark. Results We report a robust, high throughput extraction and HPLC analysis method to quantify the levels of tocopherols and tocotrienols in leaves and seeds of plants, using Arabidopsis and maize tissues as examples. Conclusion The described method provides a rapid, high-throughput, cost-effective approach to quantifying the composition and content of tocopherols, and if needed simultaneously tocotrienols, in vegetative tissues and seeds. Optimized extraction methods are described for the two tissue types and have been used to study tocochromanol (vitamin E) natural variation in seed of large Arabidopsis and maize diversity panels, to assess gene function in T-DNA and Mu-tagged populations of Arabidopsis and maize, respectfully, and study the impact of environmental stresses, including high light stress, heat stress, and dark on tocopherols content and composition of vegetative tissue.

Effects of Supplemental Red and Far-Red Light at Different Growth Stages on the Growth and Nutritional Properties of Lettuce

“…Light, as a signal, has an impact on the synthesis of vitamin E. As a lipophilic antioxidant compound belonging to the vitamin E group, tocopherol is exclusively synthesized by plants [38]. In high light stress for 24-60 h, there was a slight increase in the α-tocopherol, γtocopherol, and total tocopherols of Arabidopsis [39]. R light has increased the α-tocopherol content in basil [40].…”

Complex Evaluation of Storage Impact on Maize (Zea mays L.) Quality Using Chromatographic Methods

“…The modified version of the methodology employed by Bao et al was used for the analysis [39]. A quantity of 10 g of the ground sample was subjected to extraction with 25 mL of isopropanol for a duration of 20 min in an ultrasonic bath at ambient temperature.…”

Vitamin E synthesis and response in plants

“…As important antioxidants, tocochromanols can be boosted to high levels during various biotic and abiotic stresses ( Figures 2 , 3 ) ( Bao et al, 2020 ). Meanwhile, plants with low levels of tocochromanols are more susceptible to different stressful treatments, suggesting a crucial role of vitamin E in plant environment adaptions.…”

“…FIGURE 2Representative HPLC traces of Arabidopsis leaf tocopherols subjected to different growth conditions (high light, heat, and dark). Tocol is used as internal standard [based onBao et al (2020), with modification].…”