Iwao Asai

Rosmarinic acid and related phenolics in transformed root cultures of Hyssopus officinalis

Hyssopus officinalis transformed roots were induced by infection with Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The transformed roots grew well in hormone-free Woody Plant liquid medium producing high levels of phenolic compounds such as rosmarinic acid (maximum: 8.03% of dry weight) and lithospermic acid B (maximum: 3.89% of dry weight).

Molecular weight distribution of carrageenans studied by a combined gel permeation/inductively coupled plasma (GPC/ICP) method

Degraded carrageenan (known as poligeenan, molecular weight: 20kDa to 30kDa) causes ulcerative colitis in experimental animals. In this paper, the molecular weight distributions of 29 samples of food-grade refined carrageenans were studied by high performance liquid gel permeation chromatography (GPC) directly connected to vacuum-ultraviolet inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP) (GPC/ICP) as well as GPC/refractive index (RI) detection. All samples of food-grade carrageenan had a major broad peak of high molecular weight which eluted at around 6.5min in both RI and ICP mode (sulphur and carbon), and each sample of them had no obvious peak of poligeenan (the detection limit was about 5%). The number average molecular weights of these carrageenans ranged from 193 kDa to 324kDa, and the weight average molecular weights ranged from 453kDa to 652kDa based on RI data. Some samples had a few minor peaks which eluted around 10–12min. These peaks came from ionic sulphate, sucrose or glucose. It was considered that if the data-sampling programme was improved, the GPC/ICP system would become a more powerful technique for evaluation of carrageenan samples containing ionic substances and sugar.

Taxifolin 3-arabinoside from Fragaria x ananassa

Abstract From the roots of Fragaria x ananassa, a new flavonoid, (+)-taxifolin 3-O-α- l -arabinofuranoside was isolated and its structure was established on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. A hydrolysable tannin, pedunculagin, and condensed tannins, (+)-catechin, (+)-afzelechin-(4α-8)-(+)-catechin, procyanidin B-3 and procyanidin B-6 were also isolated.

Geranyl isovalerate accumulation in adventitious root culture of Anthemis nobilis

Adventitious root cultures of Anthemis nobilis were established from roots of in vitro plantlets. GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane extract of the root cultures revealed that they accumulated geranyl isovalerate, a compound which is generally not detectable in parental plants, and negligible amounts of other constituents. Geranyl isovalerate was also detected in the aerial parts of in vitro plantlets but not in shoot cultures having no roots.