Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry 605 014, India.
Bioorg Chem. 2013 Oct;50:1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2013.06.009. Epub 2013 Jul 19.
Lignans are a group of compounds consisting of dimers of phenyl propane units. They are found in diverse forms distributed in a variety of plants. Sesame lignans in particular are obtained from Sesamum indicum, a highly prized oilseed crop cultivated widely in many countries in the east. The plant is the main source of clinically important antioxidant lignans such as sesamin, sesamolin, sesaminol and sesamol. These lignans exhibit antihypertensive, anticancerous and hypocholesterolemic activities as well especially in humans due to which they have become compounds of tremendous research interest in recent times. Sesamin is synthesized from shikimic acid through phenylpropanoid pathway and metabolised into enterolignans which play a pivotal role in protection against several hormone related diseases. In this paper we present an overview of current status of research on sesame lignans with respect to the analytical methods employed, the biological activities and biosynthesis of sesame lignans.
木脂素是由苯丙烷单元二聚体组成的一类化合物。它们以多种形式存在，分布于多种植物中。芝麻木脂素特别是从 Sesamum indicum 中提取的，Sesamum indicum 是一种在许多东方国家广泛种植的高价值油籽作物。该植物是临床重要抗氧化木脂素如芝麻素、芝麻林素、芝麻素醇和芝麻酚的主要来源。这些木脂素具有降血压、抗癌和降胆固醇作用，特别是在人类中，因此它们已成为近年来研究的热点化合物。芝麻素是由莽草酸通过苯丙氨酸途径合成的，并代谢为肠内木脂素，在预防几种与激素相关的疾病方面起着关键作用。本文综述了芝麻木脂素的研究现状，包括所采用的分析方法、芝麻木脂素的生物活性和生物合成。
