Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation

As a member of the only two species in the Nelumbonaceae family, lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) accumulates abundant benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) in almost all of its tissues. Evidence from both traditional and modern medicine suggest great potential of the lotus BIAs in developing novel drugs for...

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Main Authors: Xue Wei, Minghua Zhang, Mei Yang, Collins Ogutu, Jing Li, Xianbao Deng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Maximum Academic Press 2024-01-01
Series:Vegetable Research
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Online Access:https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/vegres-0024-0004
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author Xue Wei
Minghua Zhang
Mei Yang
Collins Ogutu
Jing Li
Xianbao Deng
author_facet Xue Wei
Minghua Zhang
Mei Yang
Collins Ogutu
Jing Li
Xianbao Deng
author_sort Xue Wei
collection DOAJ
description As a member of the only two species in the Nelumbonaceae family, lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) accumulates abundant benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) in almost all of its tissues. Evidence from both traditional and modern medicine suggest great potential of the lotus BIAs in developing novel drugs for the prevention and treatment of diverse life-threatening diseases. This review provides a comprehensive summary on the up-to-date advances in the chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthesis of lotus BIAs. Currently, a total of 59 BIAs structurally belonging to the 1-benzylisoquinoline, aporphine, and bis-BIA categories have been identified in various lotus tissues, with their predominant accumulation in the leaf and plumule. In contrast to the common S-conformers in Ranunculales, most lotus BIAs are R-conformers. Solvent extraction is still the most widely used BIA extraction method in lotus at the industrial level, however, numerous greener and highly advanced extraction techniques have also been developed. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by electrospray ionization (ESI) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) techniques are currently the most commonly used methods for separation, quantification, and characterization of lotus BIAs. Moreover, the pharmacological activities of major BIAs isolated from lotus leaves and plumules are discussed, and their biosynthetic pathways proposed based on recent functional characterization studies of lotus BIA biosynthetic genes. Finally, a summary discussion is provided on the future research trajectories in elucidating lotus BIA biosynthesis, storage, and transportation, as well as their potential application in clinical drug development.
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spelling doaj-art-0bf6265e2f7940dfad2de2a6631d3fed2025-08-20T03:18:33ZengMaximum Academic PressVegetable Research2769-05202024-01-014111810.48130/vegres-0024-0004vegres-0024-0004Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidationXue Wei0Minghua Zhang1Mei Yang2Collins Ogutu3Jing Li4Xianbao Deng5School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaKey Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaFraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, 85354 Freising, GermanySchool of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaAs a member of the only two species in the Nelumbonaceae family, lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) accumulates abundant benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) in almost all of its tissues. Evidence from both traditional and modern medicine suggest great potential of the lotus BIAs in developing novel drugs for the prevention and treatment of diverse life-threatening diseases. This review provides a comprehensive summary on the up-to-date advances in the chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthesis of lotus BIAs. Currently, a total of 59 BIAs structurally belonging to the 1-benzylisoquinoline, aporphine, and bis-BIA categories have been identified in various lotus tissues, with their predominant accumulation in the leaf and plumule. In contrast to the common S-conformers in Ranunculales, most lotus BIAs are R-conformers. Solvent extraction is still the most widely used BIA extraction method in lotus at the industrial level, however, numerous greener and highly advanced extraction techniques have also been developed. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by electrospray ionization (ESI) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) techniques are currently the most commonly used methods for separation, quantification, and characterization of lotus BIAs. Moreover, the pharmacological activities of major BIAs isolated from lotus leaves and plumules are discussed, and their biosynthetic pathways proposed based on recent functional characterization studies of lotus BIA biosynthetic genes. Finally, a summary discussion is provided on the future research trajectories in elucidating lotus BIA biosynthesis, storage, and transportation, as well as their potential application in clinical drug development.https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/vegres-0024-0004lotusbenzylisoquinoline alkaloidextractionpharmacological activitybiosynthesis
spellingShingle Xue Wei
Minghua Zhang
Mei Yang
Collins Ogutu
Jing Li
Xianbao Deng
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation
Vegetable Research
lotus
benzylisoquinoline alkaloid
extraction
pharmacological activity
biosynthesis
title Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation
title_full Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation
title_fullStr Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation
title_full_unstemmed Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation
title_short Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) benzylisoquinoline alkaloids: advances in chemical profiling, extraction methods, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic elucidation
title_sort lotus nelumbo nucifera benzylisoquinoline alkaloids advances in chemical profiling extraction methods pharmacological activities and biosynthetic elucidation
topic lotus
benzylisoquinoline alkaloid
extraction
pharmacological activity
biosynthesis
url https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/vegres-0024-0004
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