Research progress and application of enzymatic synthesis of glycosyl compounds

Glucoside compounds are widely found in nature and have garnered significant attention in the medical, cosmetics, and food industries due to their diverse pharmaceutical properties, biological activities, and stable application characteristics. Glycosides are mainly obtained by direct extraction from plants, chemical synthesis, and enzymatic synthesis. Given the challenges associated with plant extraction, such as low conversion rates and the potential for environmental pollution with chemical synthesis, our review focuses on enzymatic synthesis. Here, we reviewed the enzymatic synthesis methods of 2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G), 2-O-α-D-glucosyl glycerol (α-GG), arbutin and α-glucosyl hesperidin (Hsp-G), and other glucoside compounds. The types of enzymes selected in the synthesis process are comprehensively analyzed and summarized, as well as a series of enzyme transformation strategies adopted to improve the synthetic yield. KEY POINTS: • Glycosyl compounds have applications in the biomedical and food industries. • Enzymatic synthesis converts substrates into products using enzymes as catalysts. • Substrate bias and specificity are key to improving substrate conversion.

Bioactivity-boosting strategy based on combination of anti-allergic O-methylated catechin with a Citrus flavanone, hesperetin

Many patients with allergies have anxiety about taking anti-allergic medicines due to their side effects and increased medical expenses. Thus, developing functional foods/agricultural products for allergy prevention is strongly desired. In this study, we revealed that a Citrus flavanone, hesperetin, amplified IgE/antigen-mediated degranulation-inhibitory potency of anti-allergic catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3''Me), in the rat basophilic/mast cell line RBL-2H3. Hesperetin also significantly elevated the activation of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), essential for eliciting anti-allergic effect of EGCG3''Me through the cell surficial protein, 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR). Furthermore, oral administration of the highly absorbent hesperidin, α-glucosyl hesperidin, also enhanced the inhibitory potency of EGCG3''Me-rich 'Benifuuki' green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) on passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction evoked by IgE/antigen in BALB/c mice. These observations indicate that hesperetin amplifies the ability of EGCG3''Me to inhibit the IgE/antigen-mediated degranulation through activating ASM signaling.