Isoflavonoid Content Research Articles

Biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of isoflavonoids in model plants and crops: a review.

Isoflavonoids, the major secondary metabolites within the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, play important roles in plant defense and exhibit free radical scavenging properties in mammals. Recent advancements in understanding the synthesis, transport, and regulation of isoflavonoids have identified their biosynthetic pathways as promising targets for metabolic engineering, offering potential benefits such as enhanced plant resistance, improved biomass, and restoration of soil fertility. This review provides an overview of recent breakthroughs in isoflavonoid biosynthesis, encompassing key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway, transporters influencing their subcellular localization, molecular mechanisms regulating the metabolic pathway (including transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, as well as epigenetic modifications). Metabolic engineering strategies aimed at boosting isoflavonoid content in both leguminous and non-leguminous plants. Additionally, we discuss emerging technologies and resources for precise isoflavonoid regulation. This comprehensive review primarily focuses on model plants and crops, offering insights for more effective and sustainable metabolic engineering approaches to enhance nutritional quality and stress tolerance.

Influence of malting procedure on the isoflavonoid content of soybeans

The goal of this study was to analyse, whether malting technique (consisting of seed hydration, germination and drying) can be used to modify concentration of various isoflavonoids in soybean seeds. Seeds of three soybean varieties were germinated by different lengths of time (from 24 to 120 h) and dried by two different methods, typically used to produce so-called ‘light’ and ‘caramel’ malts. It was determined, that malting decreases concentration of 7-O-β-D-glucosides such as daidzin, genisitin and glycitin, while at the same time increasing concentration of aglycones (daidzein, genistein and glycitein). Increasing time of the germination period increased concentration of aglycones. ‘Caramel’ type malts were characterised with higher concentration of most of the isoflavonoids (daidzin, daidzein, genistin, genistein and glycitein) than ‘light’ type malts. Results of this study suggest that soybean malts can be an interesting substrate in the production of various food products with increased aglycone content.

The GmSTF1/2–GmBBX4 negative feedback loop acts downstream of blue-light photoreceptors to regulate isoflavonoid biosynthesis in soybean

Isoflavonoids, secondary metabolites derived from the phenylalanine pathway, are predominantly biosynthesized in legumes, especially soybean (Glycine max). They are not only essential for plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses but also beneficial to human health. In this study, we report that light signaling controls isoflavonoid biosynthesis in soybean. Blue-light photoreceptors (GmCRY1s, GmCRY2s, GmPHOT1s, and GmPHOT2s) and the transcription factors GmSTF1 and GmSTF2 promote isoflavonoid accumulation, whereas the E3 ubiquitin ligase GmCOP1b negatively regulates isoflavonoid biosynthesis. GmPHOT1s and GmPHOT2s stabilize GmSTF1/2, whereas GmCOP1b promotes the degradation of these two proteins in soybean. GmSTF1/2 regulate the expression of approximately 27.9% of the genes involved in soybean isoflavonoid biosynthesis, including GmPAL2.1, GmPAL2.3, and GmUGT2. They also repress the expression of GmBBX4, a negative regulator of isoflavonoid biosynthesis in soybean. In addition, GmBBX4 physically interacts with GmSTF1 and GmSTF2 to inhibit their transcriptional activation activity toward target genes related to isoflavonoid biosynthesis. Thus, GmSTF1/2 and GmBBX4 form a negative feedback loop that acts downstream of photoreceptors in the regulation of isoflavonoid biosynthesis. Our study provides novel insights into the control of isoflavonoid biosynthesis by light signaling in soybean and will contribute to the breeding of soybean cultivars with high isoflavonoid content through genetic and metabolic engineering.

Integrative analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome reveals the molecular regulatory mechanism of isoflavonoid biosynthesis in Ormosia henryi Prain

Flavonoids are important components of many phytopharmaceuticals, however, most studies on flavonoids and isoflavonoids have been conducted on herbaceous plants of the family Leguminosae, such as soybean, and less attention has been paid to woody plants. To fill this gap, we characterized the metabolome and transcriptome of five plant organs of Ormosia henryi Prain (OHP), a woody Leguminosae plant with great pharmaceutical value. Our results indicate that OHP possesses a relatively high content of isoflavonoids as well as significant diversity, with greater diversity of isoflavonoids in the roots. Combined with transcriptome data, the pattern of isoflavonoid accumulation was found to be highly correlated with differential expression genes. Furthermore, the use of trait-WGCNA network analysis identified OhpCHSs as a probable hub enzyme that directs the downstream isoflavonoid synthesis pathway. Transcription factors, such as MYB26, MYB108, WRKY53, RAV1 and ZFP3, were found to be involved in the regulation of isoflavonoid biosynthesis in OHP. Our findings will be beneficial for the biosynthesis and utilization of woody isoflavonoids.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of Callerya speciosa sheds new light on the biosynthesis of root-specific isoflavonoids

The edible tuberous roots of the legume Callerya speciosa (Champ. Ex Benth.) Schot are medicinally important and are a rich source of isoflavonoids. The accumulation of isoflavonoids in the roots is critically important for enhancing the quality of C. speciosa. There is thus a need to develop approaches to manipulate isoflavonoid biosynthesis and breed cultivars that better accommodate the needs of consumers. One of the major impediments to achieving these goals is a lack of available genetic information for C. speciosa. In this study, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for C. speciosa (total size of 668.5 Mb) using Nanopore single-molecule sequencing and Hi-C technology; a total of 41,467 protein-coding genes were annotated in this genome assembly. The assembled genome comprised 303 contigs and 34 scaffolds, and the contig and scaffold N50 values were 4.18 and 87.4 Mb, respectively. The scaffolds were clustered into eight pseudochromosomes. Metabolites involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in five different tissues were identified via metabolic data. Furthermore, we developed a regulatory network for root-specific isoflavonoid biosynthesis in C. speciosa using gene-to-metabolite correlation analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis. A total of nine CsMYBs in the regulatory network were identified as key candidate transcription factors (TFs) that likely play important roles in regulating the content of isoflavonoids in the roots of C. speciosa. Yeast one-hybrid assays revealed interactions between structural genes involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis and candidate MYB TFs. The reference genome and large-scale transcriptomic and metabolic data presented in our study provide valuable resources that will aid future efforts to enhance the quality of C. speciosa, as well as other agricultural traits.

Effect of Biotic Elicitors on the Growth, Antioxidant Activity and Metabolites Accumulation in In Vitro Propagated Shoots of Pueraria tuberosa

Pueraria tuberosa contains a wide range of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, alkaloids, and phytosterols, which make it valuable to the pharmaceutical and food industries. Elicitor compounds trigger the defense mechanisms in plants and are widely used to increase the yield of bioactive molecules in in vitro cultures. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of biotic elicitors such as yeast extract (YE), pectin (PEC), and alginate (ALG) on growth, antioxidant activity, and metabolite accumulation in in vitro propagated shoots of P. tuberosa. The elicitors applied to shoot cultures of P. tuberosa significantly increased biomass (shoot number, fresh weight, and dry weight), and metabolites such as protein, carbohydrates, chlorophyll, total phenol (TP), and total flavonoid (TF) contents, as well as antioxidant activity compared to untreated control. Biomass, TP, and TF contents, as well as antioxidant activity, were most significant in cultures treated with 100 mg/L PEC. In contrast, chlorophyll, protein, and carbohydrate increased most in cultures treated with 200 mg/L ALG. Application of 100 mg/L of PEC led to the accumulation of high amounts of isoflavonoids including puerarin (220.69 μg/g), daidzin (2935.55 μg/g), genistin (5612 μg/g), daidzein (479.81 μg/g), and biochanin-A (111.511 μg/g) as analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Total isoflavonoids content of 100 mg/L PEC treated shoots was obtained as 9359.56 μg/g, 1.68-fold higher than in vitro propagated shoots without elicitors (5573.13 μg/g) and 2.77-fold higher than shoots of the mother plant (3380.17 μg/g). The elicitor concentrations were optimized as 200 mg/L YE, 100 mg/L PEC, and 200 mg/L ALG. Overall, this study showed that the application of different biotic elicitors resulted in better growth, antioxidant activity, and accumulation of metabolites in P. tuberosa, which could lead to obtaining phytopharmaceutical advantages in the future.

Isoflavonoid composition and antioxidant activity on elicited and non-elicited sprouts of six soy cultivars grown in Colombia

Isoflavonoid composition of freshly harvested soy sprouts of six cultivars grown in Colombia was analyzed. Evaluations on the effect of storage time at 12 °C and exogenous application of the elicitor 2,6-dichloro isonicotinic acid (INA) were carried out to establish their influence in the ability of soy sprouts for synthesizing isoflavonoids. In addition, elicited and non-elicited sprouts of soy cultivar Soy SK-7 was assessed for total phenolic content and antioxidant activity according to the growth stage (VE, VC, and V1) and tissues (cotyledon-epicotyl and hypocotyl-root). Isoflavonoid content and antioxidant capacity were dependent on the cultivar, growth stage, tissue, and storage time at 12 °C. Growth stages VE and V1 and the hypocotyl-root exhibited the highest total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. In general, 6”-O-malonylgenistin, daidzin and genistin were the major constituents in the cultivars. Soy SK-7 and Panorama 358 displayed the highest amounts of 6”-O-malonylgenistin (155.9 µg/g) and daidzin (83.5 µg/g), respectively. Results showed that the isoflavonoids and phenolic contents and antioxidant activity were significantly increased by application of INA. This information can be useful to produce soybean sprouts with increased amounts of bioactive compounds and improved response to abiotic and biotic stresses.

Interaction of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid and Ca2+ on Phenolic Compounds Bioaccumulation in Soybean Sprouts under NaCl Stress.

NaCl stress can enhance the accumulation of phenolic compounds in soybean during germination. In the present study, effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and Ca2+ on the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in soybean sprouts germinated with NaCl stress were investigated. Results showed that addition of Ca2+ increased the content of total phenolics, phenolic acids, and isoflavonoids in soybean sprouts by ca. 15%, 7%, and 48%, respectively, through enhancing the activities of three key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis. On the other hand, addition of LaCl3, a calcium channel blocker, inhibited the synthesis of phenolic compounds, indicating that Ca2+ plays an important role in the synthesis of these compounds in soybean sprouts. Addition of GABA can increase the content of Ca2+ in soybean sprouts by ca. 20% and alleviate the inhibition of LaCl3 on phenolics biosynthesis in soybean sprouts. Similarly, addition of Ca2+ can reverse the inhibition of 3-mercaptopropionate, an inhibitor of endogenous GABA synthesis, on the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in soybean sprouts under NaCl stress. To conclude, both GABA and Ca2+ can enhance the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in soybean sprouts and there was an interaction between their effects on the promotion of phenolic compounds biosynthesis.

The effect of isoflavonoid contents in SH003 and its subfractions on breast cancer

Objectives: We investigated the isoflavone contained in SH003 and its fractions, and the effect of these components on the inhibition of breast cancer.Methods: The isoflavones in solvent fractions of SH003 extract were identified by UPLC-MS and its contents were quantified using HPLC analysis. The estrogenic activity of SH003 or fractions was assessed by ERE luciferase assay in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 cells. To test the breast cancer inhibitory effect, the cell viability was measured using an MTT assay.Results: In this study, we demonstrated that SH003 and fractions contain 4 isoflavones which are calycosin-7-β-D-glucoside, formononetin-7-β-D-glucoside, calycosin, and formononetin. Despite containing isoflavones, estrogen-dependent transcription activity was not altered by both SH003 and fractions. On the other hand, SH003 and fractions inhibited the cell viability of breast cancer. In addition, its isoflavone components also showed reduced cell viability in various breast cancer cells.Conclusions: Overall, the phytoestrogen included in SH003 and fractions did not influence the estrogenic activity, emphasizing the safety of SH003 and fractions in breast cancer treatment.

Содержание изофлавоноидов в сое и пищевых продуктах с ее использованием

Soy is exceptionally rich in isoflavonoids, which are linked to various health benefits. The aim of the research was to determine the content of isoflavonoids in soy and some soy-containing foods. 
 The research featured the Sentyabrinka soy variety developed at the All-Russian Research Institute of Soy, as well as such novel soy-containing foods as soy-and-pumpkin drinks and desserts, e.g. soy-and-pumpkin okara crackers. The content of isoflavonoids was determined by high performance liquid chromatography using a Millichrom F-02 chromatograph. 
 The total content of isoflavonoids was 221.10 mg/100 g in the soy beans, 44.50 mg/100 g – in the soy-and-pumpkin dessert, 36.15 mg/100 g – in the soy-and-pumpkin jelly, 30.80 mg/100 g – in the cracker with soy-and-pumpkin okara, 21.19 mg/100 g – in the protein drink, 12.72 mg/100 g – in the vitamin drink. The samples were tested for such isoflavonoids as genistein, diadzein (major), and glycetein (minor), which took the form of aglycones, glycosides (genistin, diadzin, and glycitein), and malonyl derivatives of glycosides. The highest content of malonyl diadzin and malonyl genistin was registered both in the soy beans and the soy-containing foods: from 42.56 in the crackers to 67.50% in the soy beans. 
 The content of isoflavonoids in the soy-containing food products depended on the formulation and production technology, namely, on the amount of soy. A daily intake of 200 g of soy-and-pumpkin drink or 100 g of soy-containing dessert could provide the daily intake of isoflavonoids, which makes these products beneficial for human health.

Extraction and Identification of Effective Compounds from Natural Plants

Most botanical species contain various types of bioactive compounds. This study focusses on the extraction and identification of bioactive compounds from Calicotome spinosa (Gorse), including flavones, α-linolenic acid and sugar. During the investigation of gorse flowers, leaves and bark, flavones were isolated from the bark and leaves. Calicotome spinosa showed a total isoflavonoid content of 1.5% from the bark of gorse and 1.3% from the leaves. To find the best conditions for flavone extraction, samples of Calicotome spinosa were extracted with different solvents (methanol, water and acetonitrile). Methanol was found to be a suitable solvent to selectively extract flavone. An unsaturated cis fatty acid (α-linolenic acid, C18:3 ∆9, 12, 15) was identified as the principal component of the triacylglycerol fraction from the flowers. Hydrolyses process conditions were used to study Gorse wood. The results indicated that the wood of gorse is not a suitable substance for making paper. The extracted bioactive compounds were analysed using NMR, GCMS, UV, TLC and Fibre Analyser techniques. The extracted compounds offered uses as antioxidants and agricultural chemicals in addition to other benefits.

Bioactive constituents of Iris hybrida (Iridaceae): Processing effect.

Iris genus plants are a valuable source of bioactive compounds, which are an important component for pharmaceutical development. The present article shows the potential for mineral nutrition with application of magnesium sulfate, iron chelates and potassium oxide affecting the phenolic compound contents in Iris hybrida 'Tsikavynka', I. hybrida 'Tambo' and I. hybridа 'Widecombe Fire'. The effect of mineral processing was specific to plant organs and varied in the component composition. The Iris rhizomes had an increased total phenolic compound content after treatment (up to 10% of the total isoflavonoid content, up to 8% of phenolic acids, up to 5% of γ-pyrones and up to 13% of flavonoids), determined using UV-vis spectroscopy. A positive effect of nutrition on the biosynthesis and content of individual isoflavonoids (tectoridin, nigricin d-glucoside, genistin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, irigenin and irisolidone) and xanthone mangiferin in Iris rhizomes by HPLC was established. In addition, an increase in the chlorogenic acid amount in Iris leaves was noted. The results demonstrate the sensitivity of Iris phenylpropanoid metabolism to mineral nutrition and can be used to predict medical plant cultivation with increased content of bioactive constituents.

Innovative GACP Approaches for Obtaining the Quality Iris hybrida Leaves for the Pharmaceutical Industry.

The ever-growing demand for active compounds of plant origin contributes to the implementation of cultivation methods for medicinal plants, according to the WHO guideline "Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) for Starting Materials of Herbal Origin" to obtain high-quality raw material with the stable phytocomponent composition. Therefore, the development of the cultivation and processing stages of Iris varieties leaves is necessary and promising. The present article showed the potential of proper cultivation with GACP recommendations on affecting the phenolic compounds content in Iris×hybrida hort. 'Indian Pow Waw', Iris×hybrida hort. 'Galleon Gold', and Iris×hybrida hort. 'Mini Dinamo' leaves. The cultivation process was carried out on the experimental sites of the flowering and ornamental plants department of M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine) during 2018-2021. A positive effect of Iris samples proper cultivation and content of isoflavonoids (tectoridin, nigricin D-glucoside, genistin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, irigenin, irisolidone), xanthone mangiferin, and also chlorogenic acid in Irises leaves by HPLC has been established. According to the analysis mangiferin (7.57∼28.75 μg/g), genistin (3324.82∼14642.10 μg/g), irisolidone (673.53∼2015.81 μg/g), and irigenin (3904.37∼1595.94 μg/g) were the dominant components and these compounds can be proposed as chemical markers for Iris raw material. The obtained results indicate a significant positive effect of the introduction and observance of the proper cultivation of medicinal plants to obtain a stable bioactive compounds content, in this case, on the example of Iris genus plants. Further work on the implementation of the good practice recommendation is planned to be carried out for various medicinal plants, since only controlled cultivation makes it possible to obtain high-quality raw materials with a standardized composition.

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Plasma and Radio Wave Seed Treatments on Red Clover Plants

The effect of high-frequency 5.28 MHz plasma and radio wave seed treatments on red clover growth, nodule formation and isoflavonoid content has been investigated. The short-term and long-term effects of plasma and radio wave treatment of seeds were evaluated on clover plants during two years of vegetation. The response of plants to plasma treatment was increment in root growth and the nodule formation. Significant changes in the length and weight of roots were noted in the first year of vegetation. The increase in isoflavonoids content observed after plasma and radio wave treatments can be explained by the advancement in nodulation process.

Unveiling the Complexity of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) Transcriptome and Transcriptional Regulation of Isoflavonoid Biosynthesis Using Integrated Long- and Short-Read RNAseq.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is used as forage and contains a high level of isoflavonoids. Although isoflavonoids in red clover were discovered a long time ago, the transcriptional regulation of isoflavonoid biosynthesis is virtually unknown because of the lack of accurate and comprehensive characterization of the transcriptome. Here, we used a combination of long-read (PacBio Iso-Seq) and short-read (Illumina) RNAseq sequencing to develop a more comprehensive full-length transcriptome in four tissues (root, stem, leaf, and flower) and to identify transcription factors possibly involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis in red clover. Overall, we obtained 50,922 isoforms, including 19,860 known genes and 2817 novel isoforms based on the annotation of RefGen Tp_v2.0. We also found 1843 long non-coding RNAs, 1625 fusion genes, and 34,612 alternatively spliced events, with some transcript isoforms validated experimentally. A total of 16,734 differentially expressed genes were identified in the four tissues, including 43 isoflavonoid-biosynthesis-related genes, such as stem-specific expressed TpPAL, TpC4H, and Tp4CL and root-specific expressed TpCHS, TpCHI1, and TpIFS. Further, weighted gene co-expression network analysis and a targeted compound assay were combined to investigate the association between the isoflavonoid content and the transcription factors expression in the four tissues. Twelve transcription factors were identified as key genes for isoflavonoid biosynthesis. Among these transcription factors, the overexpression of TpMYB30 or TpRSM1-2 significantly increased the isoflavonoid content in tobacco. In particular, the glycitin was increased by 50–100 times in the plants overexpressing TpRSM1-2, in comparison to that in the WT plants. Our study provides a comprehensive and accurate annotation of the red clover transcriptome and candidate genes to improve isoflavonoid biosynthesis and accelerate research into molecular breeding in red clover or other crops.

Soybean (Glycine max) Is Able to Absorb, Metabolize and Accumulate Fenbendazole in All Organs Including Beans.

Although manure is an important source of minerals and organic compounds it represents a certain risk of spreading the veterinary drugs in the farmland and their permeation to human food. We tested the uptake of the anthelmintic drug fenbendazole (FBZ) by soybean, a common crop plant, from the soil and its biotransformation and accumulation in different soybean organs, including beans. Soybeans were cultivated in vitro or grown in a greenhouse in pots. FBZ was extensively metabolized in roots of in vitro seedlings, where sixteen metabolites were identified, and less in leaves, where only two metabolites were found. The soybeans in greenhouse absorbed FBZ by roots and translocated it to the leaves, pods, and beans. In roots, leaves, and pods two metabolites were identified. In beans, FBZ and one metabolite was found. FBZ exposure did not affect the plant fitness or yield, but reduced activities of some antioxidant enzymes and isoflavonoids content in the beans. In conclusion, manure or biosolids containing FBZ and its metabolites represent a significant risk of these pharmaceuticals entering food consumed by humans or animal feed. In addition, the presence of these drugs in plants can affect plant metabolism, including the production of isoflavonoids.

Full-length transcriptome sequences by a combination of sequencing platforms applied to isoflavonoid and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge

BackgroundAstragalus mongholicus Bunge is an important medicinal plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is rich in isoflavonoids and triterpenoid saponins. Although these active constituents of A. mongholicus have been discovered for a long time, the genetic basis of isoflavonoid and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in this plant is virtually unknown because of the lack of a reference genome. Here, we used a combination of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing to identify genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of secondary metabolites in A. mongholicus.ResultsIn this study, NGS, SMRT sequencing, and targeted compound analysis were combined to investigate the association between isoflavonoid and triterpenoid saponin content, and specific gene expression in the root, stem, and leaves of A. mongholicus. Overall, 643,812 CCS reads were generated, yielding 121,107 non-redundant transcript isoforms with an N50 value of 2124 bp. Based on these highly accurate transcripts, 104,756 (86.50%) transcripts were successfully annotated by any of the seven databases (NR, NT, Swissprot, KEGG, KOG, Pfam and GO). Levels of four isoflavonoids and four astragalosides (triterpenoid saponins) were determined. Forty-four differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis and 44 DEGs from 16 gene families that encode enzymes involved in triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis were identified. Transcription factors (TFs) associated with isoflavonoid and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis, including 72 MYBs, 53 bHLHs, 64 AP2-EREBPs, and 11 bZIPs, were also identified. The above transcripts showed different expression trends in different plant organs.ConclusionsThis study provides important genetic information on the A. mongholicus genes that are essential for isoflavonoid and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis, and provides a basis for developing the medicinal value of this plant.

Increased accumulation of isoflavonoids in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) tissues treated with 1-oxo-indane-4-carboxylic acid derivatives

Isoflavonoid phytoalexins (isoflavones: genistein, 2′-hydroxygenistein, and daidzein; isoflavanones: dalbergioidin and kievitone; coumestrol; pterocarpans: phaseollidin and phaseollin; and the isoflavan: phaseollinisoflavan) production in response to the application of eleven 1-oxo-indane-4-carboxylic acid derivatives (indanoyl esters and indanoyl amino acids conjugates), in cotyledons and hypocotyl/root of two common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars was evaluated. The content of isoflavonoids depended on the cultivar, the treated tissue, the time after induction, the structure and concentration of the elicitor. The highest isoflavonoid contents were found when 1-oxo-indanoyl-amino acids conjugates were used as elicitors. Cotyledons and hypocotyl/root of the anthracnose-resistant cultivar produced significantly higher isoflavonoid contents as compared to the susceptible one. Maximum levels of phaseollin were obtained using 0.66 mM 1-oxo-indanoyl-l-isoleucyl methyl ester and between 72 and 96 h post-induction. So, 1-oxo-indane-4-carboxylic acid derivatives, may be used to enhance the amount of isoflavonoid phytoalexins in common bean and protect crops from phytopathogenic microorganisms.

Study of anabolic activity of dry extracts of leaves and rhizomes of Iris hungarica on a model of hydrocortisone-induced protein catabolism.

This article presents the results of the study of the anabolic effect of dry extracts of Iris hungarica leaves and rhizomes on the model of hydrocortisoneinduced protein catabolism. Previous studies have established the presence of anabolic activity of dry extracts of Iris hungarica leaves and rhizomes in intact animals. Therefore, it was reasonable to study the effect of the experimental extracts on the state of protein metabolism, which is regulated by glucocorticoids. The model of hydrocortisoneinduced protein catabolism was used to determine anabolic activity for dry extracts of Iris hungarica leaves and rhizomes at a dose of 150 mg/kg by monitoring the recovery of body weight and the increase in the total protein in the cardiac muscle of rats and in muscle tissue homogenate, which is aimed to promote myofibrillar hypertrophy. Dry extract of Iris hungarica rhizomes reduced urea excretion, normalized metabolism, restored nitrogen balance, and inhibited protein catabolism. The results indicate that dry extract of Iris hungarica has the ability to correct protein metabolism, which is regulated in part by glucocorticoids, due to the high content of isoflavonoids and amino acids, and suggest that there is a potential use for this herbal product in the development of anew drug aimed at correcting protein metabolism and muscular atrophy.

Isoflavonoid biosynthesis in cultivated and wild soybeans grown in the field under adverse climate conditions

The cultivation of soybean plants is one of the most important crop production sectors in the world. Isoflavones are an important defence against pathogens in soybeans. The aim of the present study was to analyse isoflavone biosynthesis in wild and cultivated soybeans grown in the field conditions in an unfavourable climate. We analysed by LCMS-IT-TOF the composition and content of isoflavonoids, productivity and fungal disease resistance of wild and cultivated. The Hefeng25 and Sfera varieties have the highest isoflavonoid content and fungal tolerance. We have shown a 3-fold increase of total isoflavonoids in Sfera, comparing with wild type, and 4- and 7-fold increases of total isoflavone aglycones in Hefeng25 and Sfera, respectively. Accordingly, the expression of genes encoding enzymes of the isoflavonoid biosynthetic pathway was also maximal in these cultivars. Thus, biosynthetic status is an important indicator of soybean productivity and resistance to pathogens in adverse climates.