Jean-Michel Mérillon

Comparative Study of Antioxidant Properties and Total Phenolic Content of 30 Plant Extracts of Industrial Interest Using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, SOD, and ORAC Assays

Aqueous extracts of 30 plants were investigated for their antioxidant properties using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacity assay, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, superoxide dismutase (SOD) assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay. Total phenolic content was also determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Antioxidant properties and total phenolic content differed significantly among selected plants. It was found that oak (Quercus robur), pine (Pinus maritima), and cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) aqueous extracts possessed the highest antioxidant capacities in most of the methods used, and thus could be potential rich sources of natural antioxidants. These extracts presented the highest phenolic content (300-400 mg GAE/g). Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and clove (Eugenia caryophyllus clovis) aqueous extracts also showed strong antioxidant properties and a high phenolic content (about 200 mg GAE/g). A significant relationship between antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content was found, indicating that phenolic compounds are the major contributors to the antioxidant properties of these plants.

Water deficit alters differentially metabolic pathways affecting important flavor and quality traits in grape berries of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay

BackgroundWater deficit has significant effects on grape berry composition resulting in improved wine quality by the enhancement of color, flavors, or aromas. While some pathways or enzymes affected by water deficit have been identified, little is known about the global effects of water deficit on grape berry metabolism.ResultsThe effects of long-term, seasonal water deficit on berries of Cabernet Sauvignon, a red-wine grape, and Chardonnay, a white-wine grape were analyzed by integrated transcript and metabolite profiling. Over the course of berry development, the steady-state transcript abundance of approximately 6,000 Unigenes differed significantly between the cultivars and the irrigation treatments. Water deficit most affected the phenylpropanoid, ABA, isoprenoid, carotenoid, amino acid and fatty acid metabolic pathways. Targeted metabolites were profiled to confirm putative changes in specific metabolic pathways. Water deficit activated the expression of numerous transcripts associated with glutamate and proline biosynthesis and some committed steps of the phenylpropanoid pathway that increased anthocyanin concentrations in Cabernet Sauvignon. In Chardonnay, water deficit activated parts of the phenylpropanoid, energy, carotenoid and isoprenoid metabolic pathways that contribute to increased concentrations of antheraxanthin, flavonols and aroma volatiles. Water deficit affected the ABA metabolic pathway in both cultivars. Berry ABA concentrations were highly correlated with 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED1) transcript abundance, whereas the mRNA expression of other NCED genes and ABA catabolic and glycosylation processes were largely unaffected. Water deficit nearly doubled ABA concentrations within berries of Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas it decreased ABA in Chardonnay at véraison and shortly thereafter.ConclusionThe metabolic responses of grapes to water deficit varied with the cultivar and fruit pigmentation. Chardonnay berries, which lack any significant anthocyanin content, exhibited increased photoprotection mechanisms under water deficit conditions. Water deficit increased ABA, proline, sugar and anthocyanin concentrations in Cabernet Sauvignon, but not Chardonnay berries, consistent with the hypothesis that ABA enhanced accumulation of these compounds. Water deficit increased the transcript abundance of lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide lyase in fatty metabolism, a pathway known to affect berry and wine aromas. These changes in metabolism have important impacts on berry flavor and quality characteristics. Several of these metabolites are known to contribute to increased human-health benefits.

Characterization of a Grapevine R2R3-MYB Transcription Factor That Regulates the Phenylpropanoid Pathway

The ripening of grape (Vitis vinifera) berry is characterized by dramatic changes in gene expression, enzymatic activities, and metabolism that lead to the production of compounds essential for berry quality. The phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway is one of the components involved in these changes. In this study, we describe the cloning and functional characterization of VvMYB5a, a cDNA isolated from a grape L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon berry library. VvMYB5a encodes a protein belonging to a small subfamily of R2R3-MYB transcription factors. Expression studies in grapevine indicate that the VvMYB5a gene is mainly expressed during the early steps of berry development in skin, flesh, and seeds. Overexpression of VvMYB5a in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) affects the expression of structural genes controlling the synthesis of phenylpropanoid and impacts on the metabolism of anthocyanins, flavonols, tannins, and lignins. Overexpressing VvMYB5a induces a strong accumulation of several phenolic compounds, including keracyanin (cyanidin-3-rhamnoglucoside) and quercetin-3-rhamnoglucoside, which are the main anthocyanin and flavonol compounds in tobacco. In addition, VvMYB5a overexpression increases the biosynthesis of condensed tannins and alters lignin metabolism. These findings suggest that VvMYB5a may be involved in the control of different branches of the phenylpropanoid pathway in grapevine.

The transcription factor VvMYB5b contributes to the regulation of anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in developing grape berries.

Among the dramatic changes occurring during grape berry (Vitis vinifera) development, those affecting the flavonoid pathway have provoked a number of investigations in the last 10 years. In addition to producing several compounds involved in the protection of the berry and the dissemination of the seeds, final products of this pathway also play a critical role in berry and wine quality. In this article, we describe the cloning and functional characterization of VvMYB5b, a cDNA isolated from a grape berry (V. vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’) library. VvMYB5b encodes a protein belonging to the R2R3-MYB family of transcription factors and displays significant similarity with VvMYB5a, another MYB factor recently shown to regulate flavonoid synthesis in grapevine. The ability of VvMYB5a and VvMYB5b to activate the grapevine promoters of several structural genes of the flavonoid pathway was confirmed by transient expression of the corresponding cDNAs in grape cells. Overexpression of VvMYB5b in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leads to an up-regulation of genes encoding enzymes of the flavonoid pathway and results in the accumulation of anthocyanin- and proanthocyanidin-derived compounds. The ability of VvMYB5b to regulate particularly the anthocyanin and the proanthocyanidin pathways is discussed in relation to other recently characterized MYB transcription factors in grapevine. Taken together, data presented in this article give insight into the transcriptional mechanisms associated with the regulation of the flavonoid pathway throughout grape berry development.

Distribution of [14C]-trans-resveratrol, a cancer chemopreventive polyphenol, in mouse tissues after oral administration

Trans-resveratrol, a phenolic compound present in wine, has been reported to be a potential cancer chemopreventive agent. However, although it has numerous biological activities in vitro, there are few data about its bioavailability and tissue distribution in vivo. The objectives of this study were to investigate the absorption and tissue distribution of 14C-trans-resveratrol following oral administration to mice. Male Balb/c mice were given a single oral dose of 14C-trans-resveratrol and were sacrificed at 1.5, 3 or 6 h postdose. The distribution of radioactivity in tissues was evaluated using whole-body autoradiography, quantitative organ-level determination and microautoradiography. In addition, identification of radioactive compounds in kidney and liver was done with high-performance liquid chromatography. Autoradiographic survey of mice sections as well as radioactivity quantification in various organs revealed a preferential fixation of 14C-trans-resveratrol in the organs and biological liquids of absorption and elimination (stomach, liver, kidney, intestine, bile, urine). Moreover, we show that 14C-trans-resveratrol derived radioactivity is able to penetrate the tissues of liver and kidney, a finding supported by microautoradiography. The presence of intact 14C-trans-resveratrol together with glucurono- and/or sulfoconjugates in these tissues was also shown. This study demonstrates that trans-resveratrol is bioavailable following oral administration and remains mostly in intact form. The results also suggest a wide range of target organs for cancer chemoprevention by wine polyphenols in humans.

Neuroprotective properties of resveratrol and derivatives

Stilbenoid compounds consist of a family of resveratrol derivatives. They have demonstrated promising activities in vitro and in vivo that indicate they may be useful in the prevention of a wide range of pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, as well have anti‐aging effects. More recently stilbenoid compounds have shown promise in the treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimers diseases. This paper primarily focuses on the impact of stilbenoids in Alzheimers disease and more specifically on the inhibition of β‐amyloid peptide aggregation.

Effect of methyl jasmonate in combination with carbohydrates on gene expression of PR proteins, stilbene and anthocyanin accumulation in grapevine cell cultures

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is subject to a number of diseases which affect yield and wine quality. After veraison, berries become strongly susceptible to pathogens due to different physiological changes including the accumulation of glucose and fructose, on the one hand, and to the decrease of anti-microbial compounds called stilbenes, on the other. To obtain berry protection, pesticides are excessively used leading to important cost to the grower and to undesirable environmental impact of the residues, especially in grape, soil and water. As a consequence, alternative strategies have to be developed. Exogenously applied biotic elicitors induce defense responses. We studied the effects of methyl jasmonate in combination with sucrose on defense-related gene expression, stilbene and anthocyanin production in grapevine cell suspensions. The methyl jasmonate/sucrose treatment was effective in stimulating phenylalanine ammonia lyase, chalcone synthase, stilbene synthase, UDP-glucose: flavonoid-O-glucosyltransferase, proteinase inhibitor and chitinase gene expression, and triggered accumulation of both piceids and anthocyanins in cells, and trans-resveratrol and piceids in the extracellular medium. Methyl jasmonate treatment might be an efficient natural strategy to protect grapevine berries in vineyard.

Direct liquid chromatographic analysis of resveratrol derivatives and flavanonols in wines with absorbance and fluorescence detection

Abstract Wine contains a large number of polyphenols including stilbenes, flavanols and anthocyanins. Of these, stilbenes have been reported to have potential chemopreventive activities. We describe the simultaneous determination of six resveratrol derivatives in wines by liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection. The levels of pallidol, the symmetrical dimer of resveratrol, are reported for the first time. Quantifications were carried out at optimal wavelengths for each compound during separation. A total of 19 red and 30 white commercial wines from South-Western France were analysed, and the highest stilbene concentrations were found in red wines. In addition, the levels of catechins and two flavanonols recently isolated in red wine are reported.

Natural stilbenoids: distribution in the plant kingdom and chemotaxonomic interest in Vitaceae

Stilbenoids, a family of polyphenols known for the complexity of their structure and for their diverse biological activities, occur with a limited but heterogeneous distribution in the plant kingdom. The most prominent stilbene containing plant family, the Vitaceae, represented by the famous wine producing grape vines Vitis vinifera L., is one of the richest sources of novel stilbenes currently known, together with other families, such as Dipterocarpaceae, Gnetaceae and Fabaceae. This review focuses on the distribution of stilbenes and 2-arylbenzofuran derivatives in the plant kingdom, the chemical structure of stilbenes in the Vitaceae family and their taxonomic implication.

Bioactive molecules and medicinal plants

A.A. Salim, Y.-W. Chin, A. D. Kinghorn: Drug Discovery from Plants.- P. Waffo-Teguo, K. Stephanie, R. Tristan, J.M. Merillon: Grapevine Stilbenes and Biological Effects.- M.T. Luczkiewicz: Research into Isoflavonoid Phytoestrogens in Plant Cell Cultures.- S. Kintzios: Recent Advances in Secondary Metabolite Production from Plant Cell Culture: the Successful Case Stories of Rosmarinic Acid and Taxol.- K.G. Ramawat, M. Mathur, S. Dass, S. Suthar: Guggulsterone: A Potent Natural Hypolipidemic Agent from Commiphora wightii- Problems, Perseverance and Prospects.- P. Corchete: Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn: The Source of Silymarin.- A. Kirakosyan, D.M. Gibson, P.B. Kaufman: The production of Dianthrones and Phloroglucinol Derivatives in St. Johns Wort.- D. Laurain-Mattar: Production of Alkaloids in Plant Cell and Tissue Cultures.- R. Mandapati: Bacopa Monnieri, a Nootropic Drug - A review.- R. Uma Shaanker, B.T. Ramesha, G. Ravikanth, R. Gunaga, R. Vasudeva, K.N. Ganeshaiah: Chemical Profiling of Nothapodytes nimmoniana for Camptothecin, an Important Anticancer Alkaloid: Towards Development of a Sustainable Production System.- S. Ghosh, S. Jha: Cochicine- an Overview for Plant Biotechnologists.- S. Srivastava, A.K. Srivastava: Recent Advances of in vitro Azadirachtin Production.- A. Pal: Arabinogalactan Protein and Arabinogalactan: Biomolecules with Biotechnological and Therapeutical Potentials.- S. Guillon, J. Tremouillaux-Guiller, P. K. Pati, P. Gantet: Hairy Roots: a Powerful Tool for Plant Biotechnological Advances.- S. Guillon, P. Gantet, M. Thiersault, M. Rideau, J Tremouillaux-Guiller: Hairy Roots of Catharanthus roseus: Efficient Routes to Monomeric Indole Alkaloid Production.- Z. Weglarz, J.L. Przybyl, A. Geszprych: Rose Root (Rhodiola rosea L): Effect of Internal and External Factors on Accumulation of Biologically Active Compounds.- L. F. Brisson: Apoptosis and Plant Derived Pharmaceuticals.- K. G. Ramawat, S. Goyal: Indian Herbal Drugs Scenario inGlobal Perspectives.- R. Mandapati, N.S. Kanaki: Phytochemical Standardization of Herbal Drugs and Polyherbal Formulations