Applied Biocatalysis Group (Enzymes-Flavonoids-Carbohydrates-Bioactivity)

Enzymatic strategies for glycosylation of flavonoids with biological activity

Plant polyphenols are gaining relevance due to their capacity to delay the appearance of certain degenerative and pathological processes such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, schizophrenia, cancer, atherosclerosis or chronic inflammatory disease.Their action is based on the enhancement of the antioxidant system due to their ability to reduce the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many polyphenols are lipophilic scaffolds that exhibit poor absorption in vivo, giving rise to a very low concentration in the circulatory streams.

Several polyphenols appear glycosylated in nature and the sugar moiety seems to play a major role in their bioactivity. It has been proposed that glycosylation could facilitate the diffusion of polyphenols into intestinal enterocytes. Glycosylation dramatically changes the physico-chemical properties of polyphenols and increases the stability of polyphenols during gastrointestinal transit after ingestion. In fact, glycosylation is being commercially exploited as a tool to improve the properties of various flavonoids.

The TFM student will investigate the glycosylation of several flavonoids using free and immobilized enzymes. For this purpose, the student will produce the enzyme by submerged fermentation using E. coli as host. The student will familiarize with several biochemical and analytical techniques, in particular liquid chromatography HPLC.