ISSN 2169-303X
International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN: 2169-303X Vol. 4 (4), pp. 338-242, June, 2015. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Influence of witches' broom disease on catechin, epicatechin and their enantiomers concentrations in Citrus aurantifolia
Saeed Mollayi 1, Alireza Ghassempour1,*, Hassan Y. Aboul-Enein2,*
1Phytochemistry Department, Medicinal Plant and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G. C. Evin, Tehran, Iran.
2Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo 12311, Egypt.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:[email protected]. Tel. +982129904070; Fax: +982122431598.
Accepted 14 June, 2015
Abstract
Recently, witches' broom disease causes a large problem for Citrus aurantifolia in a few countries such as Oman and Iran. The results show that the metabolism of plant cells are greatly changed due to biotic stresses leading plant to an optimized metabolic response for defense. Herein, we showed that the infection of Citrus aurantifolia to Witches' broom disease has a close relation with the content of catechin and epicatechin metabolites which are well known for their biological properties. These changes in the metabolites levels were in proper agreement with the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(PAL) and chalcone synthase (CHS) as the key enzymes of the biosynthesis of catechin and epicatechin. Infection of the plant resulted in the higher levels of both the metabolites with up regulated activities of PAL and CHS. Enantiomeric analysis of the metabolites revealed that infection of the Citrus aurantifolia cause to change the enantiomeric composition of catechin and caused accumulation of the (+)-enantiomer, which is a known antibacterial agent compared to (-)-catechin. Results of this study showed that plant is able to regulate the chirality of necessary metabolites when acquired in the stress conditions.
Key words: Citrus aurantifolia, witches' broom disease, catechin, epicatechin, PAL, CHS, enantiomers.