Anthocyanins in plants

Flavonoids and Anthocyanins in Plants, and Latest Bioactive Heterocycles I Volume Editor N. Motohashi Volume 15, 2008... 

Chalker-Scott, L., Environmental significance of anthocyanins in plant stress responses, Photo-chem. PhotobioL, 70, 1, 1999. 

One of the best-established functions of anthocyanins is in the production of flower color and the provision of colors attractive to plant pollinators. Considerable effort has been made to give explanations for the color variations expressed by anthocyanins in plants. Various factors including concentration and nature of the anthocyanidin, anthocyanidin equilibrium forms, the extent of anthocyanin glycosidation and acylation, the nature and concentration of copigmentation, metal complexes, intra- and intermolecular association mechanisms, and influence of external factors like pH, salts, etc. have been found to have impact on anthocyanin colors. ... 

Production of anthocyanins in plant cell and tissue cultures has been reported for more than 30 species including Daucus carota, Fragaria x ananassa, Vaccinium spp., Vitis hybrida, Solanum tuberosum, Malus sylvestris, Aralia cordata, Perilla frutescens, Ipomoea batatas. Euphorbia millii, Strobilanthes dyeriana. Hibiscus sabariffa, Dioscorea cirrhosa, etc. ... 

Herbicides are the biocides most likely to affect the metabolism of plants, including secondary metabolism [107]. The synthesis of hydroxyphenolics and anthocyanin in plants can be influenced by a variety of environmental and chemical stimuli. Some herbicides were found to raise the levels of these compounds in plants [108] whilst others had the opposite effect [109]. The products of secondary metabolism are controlled by enzymes, including PAL and chalcone isomerase (Cl), and several herbicides appear to intensify the activities of those enzymes involved in the accumulation of hydroxyphenolic compounds and anthocyanin biosynthesis in several plant species [109-111] whereas others depress this activity [112]. For example,... 

Anthocyanin purification steps are important for anthocyanin characterization. Removal of interfering compounds allows for more reliable HPLC separation, spectral information, mass spectra, and NMR spectra during the identification of anthocyanins in plant extracts. 

Takeda, K., Harborne, J.B., and Self, R. 1986. Identification and distribution of malonated anthocyanins in plants of the compositae. Phytochemistry 25 1337-1342. 

Very little is known about the stability and catabolism of anthocyanins in plants. A few studies have traced the turnover of anthocyanins in living... 

As part of the series Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry, this volume titled Bioactive Heterocycles II presents comprehensive and up-to-date reviews on selected topics concerning flavonoids and anthocyanins in plants, and heterocycles such as bioactive phenothiazines, phenoxazines, and related compounds. The volume is separated into two sections mainly concentrating on these two topics. 

Loupy A (ed) (2002) Microwaves in organic synthesis, 2nd edn. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim Shah A, Bariwal J, Molnar J et al (2008) Advanced dihydropyridines as novel multidrug resistance modifiers and reversing agents. In Motohashi N (ed) Bioactive heterocycles VI fiavonoids and anthocyanins in plants, and latest bioactive heterocycles 1, vol 15. Springer, Berlin... 

Actually, flavonoids and anthocyanins in plants could play a very important role in our daily health. Our ancestors used them as par t of daily life for dyestuffs and folklore medicines. Evidentially, the benefits of colorful flavonoids and anthocyanins have been confirmed by the results of many researchers. 

Asen S., Stewart R.N., Norris K.H. 1972. Co-pigmentation of anthocyanins in plant tissues and ist effect on color. Phytochemistry. 11,1139-1144. 

Some of these phenolic compounds are directly related to colours in plants, and in particular anthocyanidins ate natural pigments present as anthocyanins in plant tissues in glucoside forms with a C6-C3-C6 skeleton. Only a few phenolic compounds absorb tight in the visible range and anthocyanins are the only significant subgroup of polyphenols visible to the human eye (Brouillard et al. 

Bate-Smith, . C. 1954b. Detection and identification of anthocyanidins formed from leuco-anthocyanins in plant tissues. Biochem. J. (in press). 

However, all these changes are not sufficient to account for the large color variations attributed to anthocyanins in plants. These are in fact due to two types of mechanisms, namely, (1) conversion of the fiavylium ions to secondary anthocyanins forms in aqueous media and (2) molecular interactions. 

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