New research from the John Innes
Centre reveals how a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine produces
compounds that may help to treat cancer and liver diseases. Credit: Qing Zhao,
Chinese Academy of Sciences
New
research led by Professor Cathie Martin of the John Innes Centre has revealed how
a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine produces compounds which may help
to treat cancer and liver diseases.
The
Chinese skullcap, Scutellaria baicalensis - otherwise known in Chinese
medicine as Huang-Qin - is traditionally used as a treatment for fever, liver
and lung complaints.
Previous
research on cells cultured in the lab has shown that certain compounds called
flavones, found in the roots of this plant, not only have beneficial anti-viral
and anti-oxidant effects, but they can also kill human cancers while leaving
healthy cells untouched. In live animal models, these flavones have also halted
tumour growth, offering hope that they may one day lead to effective cancer
treatments, or even cures.
As
a group of compounds, the flavones are relatively well understood. But the
beneficial flavones found in Huang-Qin roots, such as wogonin and baicalin, are
different: a missing - OH (hydroxyl) group in their chemical structure left
scientists scratching their heads as to how they were made in the plant.
Professor
Cathie Martin, lead author of the paper published in Science Advances,
explains: "Many flavones are synthesised using a compound called
naringenin as a building block. But naringenin has this -OH group attached to
it, and there is no known enzyme that will remove it to produce the flavones we
find in Huang-Qin roots."
Root specific flavones (RSFs) from Scutellaria
have a variety of reported additional beneficial effects including anti-oxidant
and anti-viral properties. Credit: Qing Zhao, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Working
in collaboration with Chinese scientists, Cathie and her team explored the
possibility that Huang-Qin's root-specific flavones (RSFs) were made via a
different biochemical pathway. Step-by-step, the scientists unravelled the
mechanism involving new enzymes that make RSFs using a different building block
called chrysin.
"We
believe that this biosynthetic pathway has evolved relatively recently in Scutellaria
roots, diverging from the classical pathway that produces flavones in leaves
and flowers, specifically to produce chrysin and its derived flavones,"
said Professor Martin.
"Understanding
the pathway should help us to produce these special flavones in large
quantities, which will enable further research into their potential medicinal
uses. It is wonderful to have collaborated with Chinese scientists on these
traditional medicinal plants. Interest in traditional remedies has increased
dramatically in China since Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine
in 2015 for her work on artemisinin. It's exciting to consider that the plants
which have been used as traditional Chinese remedies for thousands of years may
lead to effective modern medicines."
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