Abstract
Cichoric acid is the main phenolic compound in the root and rhizome of the medicinal part, Echinacea purpurea that is known for possessing immune enhancing characteristics. In this study, we analysis the the synthesis and storage sites of phenolic compound in E. purpurea. We used fluorescent microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cytochemical and immunocytochemical localization to observe the distribution of phenolic compounds. Our results show that the phenolic compounds were mostly distributed in the cortex parenchyma cells, vascular parenchyma cells and pith parenchyma cells in the root and rhizome, and mainly present in the vacuoles, large intercellular spaces and their surrounding cell walls. No phenolic compounds were observed in the cytoplasm and the organelles. We concluded that the phenolic compounds were synthetized in the cortex parenchyma cells, vascular parenchyma cells and pith parenchyma cells in the root and rhizome, and stored in the vacuoles of parenchyma cells. The above results provided significantly cytological information for further approaching the metabolic regulation and transfer pathways of phenolic compounds in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Highlights
Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench. (Compositae) is a perennial herb native to North America
Our results show that the phenolic compounds were mostly distributed in the cortex parenchyma cells, vascular parenchyma cells and pith parenchyma cells in the root and rhizome, and mainly present in the vacuoles, large intercellular spaces and their surrounding cell walls
We resorted to fluorescent microscopic, cytochemical and immunocytochemical localization techniques to systematically investigate the distribution and storage sites of phenolic compounds in the root and rhizome, and on that basis, the synthesis sites, transfer pathways and the storage sites of the phenolic compouds were discussed
Summary
Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench. (Compositae) is a perennial herb native to North America. (Compositae) is a perennial herb native to North America It is widely used in western countries and is a widely recognized immune enhancing herb, with anti-inflammatory, antivirus, and antitumor activity [1,2,3,4]. Cichoric acid is the most abundant phenolic compound in the root and rhizome of E. purpurea, and is the important characteristic and immune active constituent [7,8]. The root and rhizome is the medicinal valued portion of E. purpurea, and its biological yield and cichoric acid content are enhanced by optimization of cultivation management, post-harvest and extraction [10,11,12,13]. This study provided important cytological information for further dissecting the metabolic regulation and metabolite transfer of phenolic compounds in biochemistry and molecular biology
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