Biotransformation of estragole by the plant cultured cells of Caragana chamlagu

Abstract

Estragole (EG) is biosynthesized in herbs including anise, basil, bay, tarragon, fennel and marjoram, and is thought to be a useful biomass for the food and health industries. Moreover, the metabolites from estragole are useful intermediates in organic synthetic chemistry. However, estragole has been transformed only by chemical methods, and no biocatalysts have been reported. In this paper, we report the biotransformation of estragole using the plant cells of Caragana chamlagu gave 4-methoxycinnamaldehyde (MCAL), 4-methoxycinnamyl alcohol (MCA) and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (MBAL). In addition, we propose a reaction mechanism in the biotransformation of estragole using Caragana chamlagu. Since estragole generates malignant liver tumors in the rat, it is necessary to reduce exposure. The present study reveals the transformation of harmful estragole. Furthermore, we succeeded in biotransforming estragole as biomass using plant cells into useful compounds. © 2011 The Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology.