Flavonoids and terpenoids are promising candidates for use as functional foods and novel therapeutics due to their prominent biological activities. However, the use of several bioactive plant compounds is limited by low stability and solubility problems. This review underlines the feasibility of enzymatic synthesis of novel bioactive analogs of selected flavonoids (silybin, rutin) and terpenoids (perillyl alcohol, POH) in nonconventional reaction systems. The effect of various parameters on the enzymatic acylation and/or glucosylation of these phytochemicals was studied. Also, the role of the structure of the novel molecules in relation to their biological function was investigated in various cancer cell lines.
Biotransformations of the natural compoundsEnzymatic acylation of flavonoids Analytical-scale reactions of silybin esters synthesis were carried out in sealed round bottom flasks using acetone, tert-amyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, or acetonitrile as reaction medium. Silybin and various acylation agents (fatty acids and corresponding vinyl or methyl esters) were solubilized in the organic solvent (10 ml) previously dehydrated with 3 Å molecular sieves. The acylation of silybin was performed in the presence of immobilized lipase (15 mg ml -1 , Novozym 435). In all cases studied, the flasks were incubated at 50 °C and stirred at 250 rpm. Rutin ester synthesis was carried out in sealed round-bottom flasks using acetone as reaction medium. Rutin (55 mg) was solubilized in acetone (9 ml) previously dehydrated with 3 Å molecular sieves. The acylation of rutin was performed in the presence of immobilized lipase (100 mg, Novozym 435). The acyl donor concentration was adjusted to have a flavonoid/acyl donor molar ratio of 1/5. The mixture was incubated at 50 °C and stirred at 175 rpm.E. XANTHAKIS et al.