Enzymic Synthesis of Gastrodin through Microbial Transformation and Purification of Gastrodin Biosynthesis Enzyme

• Published in: Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 2010/10/01, Vol.33(10), pp.1680-1684
• Main Authors: Zhu, Hongli, Dai, Penggao, Zhang, Wei, Chen, Erfang, Han, Wenxian, Chen, Chao, Cui, Yali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benzaldehydes - metabolism; Benzyl Alcohols; Biotransformation; Gastrodia - chemistry; Gastrodia elata; gastrodin; gastrodin biosynthesis enzyme; Glucosides - biosynthesis; Glucosyltransferases - chemistry; Glucosyltransferases - isolation & purification; Glucosyltransferases - metabolism; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; microbial transformation; Molecular Structure; p-hydroxybenzaldehyde; Plant Extracts - biosynthesis; Rhizopus; Rhizopus - metabolism; Temperature
• ISSN: 0918-6158; 1347-5215; 1347-5215
• DOI: 10.1248/bpb.33.1680

Gastrodin, a major bioactive component of a famous Chinese herb Gastrodia elata B1., has diverse pharmaceutical functions. It is usually obtained by extraction from a plant or through chemical synthesis. However, traditional extraction from Gastrodia elata B1. is time and money consuming, while chemical synthesis is a complicated procedure and always leads to very serious environmental pollution. Thus it is urgent to explore a new gastrodin source which is more economical and environmental. The present study reports a novel approach to the production of gastrodin through biosynthesis and microbial transformation. Rhizopus chinensis SAITO AS3.1165 was screened from about 50 fungal and bacterial strains and found capable of biotransforming p-hydroxybenzaldehyde into gastrodin for use in gastrodin production. A series of purification steps including (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration column chromatography was successfully used for purification of the gastrodin biosynthesis enzyme (GBE). The purity of GBE was above 95% and its molecular weight was about 63.2 kDa. We further characterized GBE's function condition, and found that the optimal temperature was 50 °C and the optimum pH 6.0. The enzyme was stable at a temperature lower than 50 °C and a pH between 6.0 and 9.0. The result indicated that gastrodin could be successfully synthesized by microbial transformation, providing a new approach for gastrodin production.