Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China.
Plant Signal Behav. 2023 Dec 31;18(1):2287881. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2023.2287881. Epub 2023 Nov 28.
Mulberry leaves are served not only as fodder for silkworms but also as potential functional food, exhibiting nutritional and medical benefits due to the complex and diverse constituents, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and benzofurans, which possess a wide range of biological activities, such as anti-diabete, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and so on. Nevertheless, compared with the well-studied phytochemistry and pharmacology of mulberry leaves, the current understanding of the biosynthesis mechanisms and regulatory mechanisms of active ingredients in mulberry leaves remain unclear. Natural resources of these active ingredients are limited owing to their low contents in mulberry leaves tissues and the long growth cycle of mulberry. Biosynthesis is emerging as an alternative means for accumulation of the desired high-value compounds, which can broaden channels for their large-scale green productions. Therefore, this review summarizes the recent research advance on the correlative key genes, enzyme biocatalytic reactions and biosynthetic pathways of valuable natural ingredients (i.e. alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and benzofurans) in mulberry leaves, thereby offering important insights for their further biomanufacturing.
桑叶不仅可用作蚕的饲料，而且还具有潜在的功能性食品，因为其复杂多样的成分，包括生物碱、类黄酮、酚酸和苯并呋喃，具有广泛的生物活性，如抗糖尿病、抗氧化、抗炎等。然而，与桑叶的植物化学和药理学的广泛研究相比，目前对桑叶中活性成分的生物合成机制和调控机制的了解还不清楚。由于这些活性成分在桑叶组织中的含量低，以及桑树的生长周期长，因此其天然资源有限。生物合成作为积累所需高价值化合物的一种替代手段，为其大规模绿色生产开辟了新的途径。因此，本综述总结了近年来有关桑叶中宝贵天然成分（如生物碱、类黄酮、酚酸和苯并呋喃）的相关关键基因、酶生物催化反应和生物合成途径的研究进展，为其进一步的生物制造提供了重要的见解。
