Terpenoids carotenoids

One of the main reasons for this lack of concretion is the complexity of plant matrices, whose diversified secondary metabolism includes a vast number of different compounds with close structures that can be hard to identify. Some of these families with a well-documented bibliography related to health effects comprise alkaloids, phenolic compounds (including phenolic acids, stilbenes like resveratrol, or flavonoids such as anthocyanins, procyanidins, or isoflavones), terpenoids, carotenoids, sulfur compounds (such as glucosinolates and isothiocyanates), etc. Their presence and amount in the plant source depend on multiple factors including variety, organ of the plant, soil, sun exposure, climate, or even ways of cultivation. 

Open-chain 1,5-polyenes (e.g. squalene) and some oxygenated derivatives are the biochemical precursors of cyclic terpenoids (e.g. steroids, carotenoids). The enzymic cyclization of squalene 2,3-oxide, which has one chiral carbon atom, to produce lanosterol introduces seven chiral centres in one totally stereoselective reaction. As a result, organic chemists have tried to ascertain, whether squalene or related olefinic systems could be induced to undergo similar stereoselective cyclizations in the absence of enzymes (W.S. Johnson, 1968, 1976). 

Since GAs as diterpenes share many intermediates in the biosynthetic steps leading to other terpenoids, eg, cytokinins, ABA, sterols, and carotenoids, inhibitors of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway of terpene synthesis also inhibit GA synthesis (57). Biosynthesis of GAs progresses in three stages, ie, formation of / Akaurene from MVA, oxidation of /-kaurene to GA 2" hyde, and further oxidation of the GA22-aldehyde to form the different GAs more than 70 different GAs have been identified. 

Tetraterpenes. Carotenoids make up the most important group of C q terpenes and terpenoids, although not all carotenoids contain 40 carbon atoms. They are widely distributed in plant, marine, and animal life. It has been estimated that nature produces about 100 million t/yr of carotenoids synthetic production amounts to several hundred tons per year (207,208). 

Since carotenoids are isoprenoids, they share a common early pathway with other biologically important isoprenoids such as sterols, gibberellins, phytol and the terpenoid quinones (Fig. 13.3). In all cases, these compounds are derived from the C5 isoprenoid, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP). Until a few years ago it was believed that a single pathway from the Cg precursor mevalonic acid (MVA) formed IPP, which itself was synthesised from hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) by the action of HMG... 

Since carotenoids are derived for the central isoprenoid pathway (Fig. 13.3), the regulation of their formation must involve a co-ordinated flux of isoprenoid imits into this branch of the pathway as well as into others such as the biosynthesis of sterols, gibberellins, phytol and terpenoid quinones. An imderstanding of the complexities of regulation of the pathway is necessary in order to target the regulatory steps for genetic manipulation. 

Subsequent cyclizations, dehydrogenations, oxidations, etc., lead to the individual naturally occurring carotenoids, but little is known about the biochemistry of the many interesting final structural modifications that give rise to the hundreds of diverse natural carotenoids. The carotenoids are isoprenoid compounds and are biosynthesised by a branch of the great isoprenoid pathway from the basic C5-terpenoid precursor, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP). The entire biosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts (in green tissues) or chromoplasts (in yellow to red tissues). 

This review will first concentrate on the unimolecular gas-phase chemistry of diene and polyene ions, mainly cationic but also anionic species, including some of their alicyclic and triply unsaturated isomers, where appropriate. Well-established methodology, such as electron ionization (El) and chemical ionization (Cl), combined with MS/MS techniques in particular cases will be discussed, but also some special techniques which offer further potential to distinguish isomers will be mentioned. On this basis, selected examples on the bimolecular gas-phase ion chemistry of dienes and polyenes will be presented in order to illustrate the great potential of this field for further fundamental and applied research. A special section of this chapter will be devoted to shed some light on the present knowledge concerning the gas-phase derivatization of dienes and polyenes. A further section compiles some selected aspects of mass spectrometry of terpenoids and carotenoids. 

Carotenoids Organic compounds that are 40-carbon terpenoids. They serve as photosynthetic pigments in algae, photosynthetic bacteria, and higher plants. They are also present in some nonphotosynthetic bacteria. 

Carotenoids are lipid-soluble terpenoids derived from the isoprenoid pathway and are located in hydrophobic areas of cells. All have a 40-carbon isoprene backbone with a variety of ring structures at one or both ends (Fig. 8.2) [25]. The carbon skeleton is derived from five-carbon isoprenoid groups and contains alternating conjugated double bonds. There are two kinds of carotenoids (Fig. 8.2) carotenes composed of carbon and hydrogen and xanthophylls composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. 

In pepper as in many plants, there are two sources of isoprene monomers the mevalonic acid pathway and the plastidal pool from pymvate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate [26], Pepper carotenoid biosynthesis uses the plastidal pathway for the isopentyl pyrophosphate monomers and the resident terpenoid synthases and transferases [27], Using the 5-carbon isoprene pool, the prenyl transferases sequentially... 

Together with the organoboron procedures mentioned above, the Pd-catalyzed cross coupling procedures have been applied to the synthesis of a wide variety of insect pheromones, terpenoids, and carotenoids. 

The Cl 3 ketones a- and /3-ionone are cyclic terpenoids that occur in many essential oils. However, being metabolites of the corresponding carotenoids [89], they occur in only small amounts. A third isomer, 7-ionone, has not yet been observed in nature. 

Terpenoids are structurally based on the isoprenoid (C5) unit and include monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, steroids and carotenoids. These compounds can be further modified to generate greater structural complexity. Thus the saponins are surface active amphiphiles deriving from the glycosylation of steroid (C27) or triterpenoid (C30) entities. Plant triterpenoids with very specific biochemical effects include those that mimic the effects of mammalian steroid hormones or of insect developmental hormones. 

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