Flax Terpenoid Pathway as a Source of Health Promoting Compounds

Abstract

Flax is an important crop plant grown mainly for its fiber and seeds, which are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and valuable antioxidants derived from the terpenoid pathways including carotenoids, tocochromanols and sterols. Many of those components found in flax have been recently shown to positively influence human health. Although terpenes vary greatly in their chemical structure, mainly two mechanisms of their biological activity can be considered: direct antioxidation, and a recently explored one, connected to specific receptor and cell signaling pathway activation. Recent studies show that many of the health promoting agents derived from flax act through both of the mentioned mechanisms, resulting in synergistic physiological effects. The work summarizes the two mechanisms, focusing mainly on the one involving cell signaling, as a promising target for medicine and pharmacotherapy.

Biosynthesis and profiles of fatty acids, vitamin E and carotenoids during flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) seed capsule maturation

“…Among the three genes in MEP pathway, Lu DXS and Lu GGPS expression patterns were positively correlated ( R 2 = 0.845, P < 0.05). They play an important role in MEP pathway fluxes, which are not only involved in the biosynthesis of vitamin E and carotenoid, but also in other metabolites such as gibberellins and chlorophyll (Styrczewska et al, 2013). Tocopherol cyclase (TC) and γ‐tocopherol methyl transferase ( γ TMT), belonging to vitamin E core biosynthetic pathway, determinate the type of tocopherol or tocotrienol accumulated in plant tissues.…”