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Licorice‐derived compounds inhibit linoleic acid (C:18:2ω6) desaturation in soybean chloroplasts
Author(s) -
Norman Helen A.,
Pillai Parthasarathy,
Baker Michael E.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(95)00627-l
Subject(s) - linoleic acid , chemistry , chloroplast , biochemistry , aglycone , fatty acid , stereochemistry , glycoside , gene
Although glycyrrhizic acid, a major constituent of licorice root, has important pharmacological effects in humans, the biological activity of glycyrrhizic acid and its aglycone glycyrrhetinic acid in plants is unknown. Here we report that these licorice‐derived compounds and the analog carbenoxolone inhibit desaturation of linoleic acid (C18:2ω6) in soybean chloroplasts using monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine substrates in an in vitro assay for desaturase activity. At 10 nM glycyrrhetinic acid, there is significant inhibition of desaturation of linoleic acid suggesting that licorice‐derived compounds could prove useful in investigating biochemical pathways of linoleic acid desaturation in plant chloroplasts and plant desaturase regulation, which has application in modification of plant response to environmental stress, as well as optimization of oil seed composition.