Identification, Biological Activities and Biosynthetic Pathway of Dendrobium Alkaloids

Abstract

Dendrobium is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Orchidaceae family with more than 1,400 species. Many Dendrobium species have been used as medicinal plants in several Asian countries for thousands of years. Alkaloids were reported as the major biological markers due to their complex chemical compositions and various types. In this review, we summarized the structural types of alkaloids, their pharmacological activities, as well as the mechanisms of biological activities. More than sixty alkaloids were isolated and identified from the Dendrobium genus. Moreover, the pharmacological effects of Dendrobium alkaloids as hepatic lipid and gluconeogenesis regulation, as neuroprotection, and as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, and anti-virus factors were described. Besides, the total chemical synthesis of dendrobine is provided, while the biosynthetic pathway of dendrobine has been proposed based on the functions of associated genes. For applications of these invaluable herbs, more researches on the extraction of biological markers from compounds are needed. Further confirmation of the proposed biosynthetic pathways is anticipated as well.

Analysis of Endophytic Bacterial Diversity From Different Dendrobium Stems and Discovery of an Endophyte Produced Dendrobine-Type Sesquiterpenoid Alkaloids

“…Previous studies have clearly shown that DSAs possess a variety of medicinal properties (Wang S. S. et al, 2020;Mou et al, 2021). The content of DSAs in Dendrobium is affected by several factors, such as Dendrobium type, stalk position, cultivation condition, and harvest period.…”

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Genes Involved in Sesquiterpene Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Trichoderma longibrachiatum MD33 and UN32

“…Chemical modification catalyzed by enzymes is responsible for structural diversity in alkaloids, such as CYP450-mediated oxidation and hydroxylation reactions. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes, belonging to a superfamily of monooxygenase, have been identified in Dendrobium genus ( Mou et al, 2021 ). Working on MeJA-induced alkaloids accumulation in D. officinale , Chen and associates ( Chen et al, 2019 ) identified 59 CYP450s involved in alkaloids biosynthesis through phylogenetic tree and gene expression pattern analysis.…”

Improving large-scale biomass and total alkaloid production of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. using a temporary immersion bioreactor system and MeJA elicitation

“…Alkaloids with complex chemical structures consist of pyrrole, indolizidine, terpenoid alkaloids, amine alkaloids, indole, quinazoline, and others are the most common active compounds in D. nobile and are found in all parts of the plant [ 7 ]. Modern pharmacology studies have shown that alkaloids can relieve pain, have antipyretic effects, reduce heart rate and blood pressure, slow down respiration, and alleviate barbiturate poisoning [ 8 , 9 ].…”