Naturally occurring phenols
In biochemistry, naturally occurring phenols are natural products containing at least one phenol functional group.[1][2][3] Phenolic compounds are produced by plants and microorganisms.[4] Organisms sometimes synthesize phenolic compounds in response to ecological pressures such as pathogen and insect attack, UV radiation and wounding.[5] As they are present in food consumed in human diets and in plants used in traditional medicine of several cultures, their role in human health and disease is a subject of research.[1][5][6][7]: 104 Some phenols are germicidal and are used in formulating disinfectants.
Classification
Various
Number of carbon atoms | Basic skeleton | Number of phenolic cycles | Class | Examples |
---|---|---|---|---|
6 | C6 | 1 | Simple phenols, Benzoquinones | Catechol, Hydroquinone, 2,6-Dimethoxybenzoquinone |
7 | C6-C1 | 1 | Phenolic acids, Phenolic aldehydes | Gallic, salicylic acids |
8 | C6-C2 | 1 | Acetophenones, Tyrosine derivatives, Phenylacetic acids | p-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid, Homogentisic acid
|
9 | C6-C3 | 1 | Hydroxycinnamic acids, Allylbenzenes, Coumarins, Isocoumarins, Chromones | Caffeic, ferulic acids, Myristicin, Eugenol, Umbelliferone, aesculetin, Bergenon, Eugenin |
10 | C6-C4 | 1 | Naphthoquinones | Juglone, Plumbagin |
13 | C6-C1-C6 | 2 | Xanthonoids | Mangiferin |
14 | C6-C2-C6 | 2 | Anthraquinones
|
Resveratrol, Emodin |
15 | C6-C3-C6 | 2 | Chalconoids, Flavonoids, Isoflavonoids, Neoflavonoids | Quercetin, cyanidin, Genistein |
16 | C6-C4-C6 | 2 | Halogenated algal phenolic compounds | Kaviol A, colpol |
18 | (C6-C3)2 | 2 | Neolignans
|
Pinoresinol, Eusiderin |
30 | (C6-C3-C6)2 | 4 | Biflavonoids | Amentoflavone |
many | (C6-C3)n, (C6)n, (C6-C3-C6)n |
n > 12 | Polyphenolic proteins,
Polyphenols |
Raspberry ellagitannin, Tannic acid |
C6-C7-C6 Diarylheptanoids are not included in this Harborne classification.
They can also be classified on the basis of their number of phenol groups. They can therefore be called simple phenols or monophenols, with only one phenolic group, or di- (bi-), tri- and oligophenols, with two, three or several phenolic groups respectively.
A diverse family natural phenols are the
The phenolic unit can be found dimerized or further polymerized, creating a new class of polyphenol. For example, ellagic acid is a dimer of gallic acid and forms the class of ellagitannins, or a catechin and a gallocatechin can combine to form the red compound theaflavin, a process that also results in the large class of brown thearubigins in tea.
Two natural phenols from two different categories, for instance a flavonoid and a lignan, can combine to form a hybrid class like the flavonolignans.
Nomenclature of polymers:
Base Unit: | Gallic Acid
|
Flavone |
Cinnamic acid |
---|---|---|---|
Class/Polymer: | Hydrolyzable tannins
|
Flavonoid, Condensed tannins | Lignins |
Hybrid chemical classes
Plants in the genus Humulus and Cannabis produce terpenophenolic metabolites, compounds that are meroterpenes.[12][13] Phenolic lipids are long aliphatic chains bonded to a phenolic moiety.
Chirality
Many natural phenols are
UV visible absorbance
Natural phenols show optical properties characteristic of benzene, e.g. absorption near 270 nm. According to
As molecules with higher conjugation levels undergo this bathochromic shift phenomenon, a part of the visible spectrum is absorbed. The wavelengths left in the process (generally in red section of the spectrum) recompose the
Here is a series of UV visible spectra of molecules classified from left to right according to their conjugation level:
The absorbance pattern responsible for the red color of anthocyanins may be complementary to that of green chlorophyll in photosynthetically active tissues such as young Quercus coccifera leaves.[16]
Oxidation
Natural phenols are
Browning associated with oxidation of phenolic compounds has also been given as the cause of cells death in calli formed in in vitro cultures. Those phenolics originate both from explant tissues and from explant secretions.
Phenolic compounds
Naturally occurring
Cannabinoids |
the active constituents of cannabis |
Capsaicin | the pungent compound of chili peppers |
Carvacrol | found in neuroprotectant[22]
|
Cresol | found in coal tar and creosote |
Estradiol | estrogen - hormones |
Eugenol | the main constituent of the essential oil of clove |
Gallic acid | found in galls
|
Guaiacol | (2-methoxyphenol) - has a smokey |
Methyl salicylate | the major constituent of the essential oil of wintergreen |
Raspberry ketone | a compound with an intense raspberry smell |
Salicylic acid | precursor compound to Aspirin (chemical synthesis is used in manufacturing) |
noradrenaline |
natural neurotransmitters
|
Thymol | (2-Isopropyl-5-methyl phenol) - found in thyme; an antiseptic that is used in mouthwashes |
Tyrosine | an amino acid |
Sesamol | a naturally occurring compound found in sesame seeds
|
Synthetic
Phenol | the parent compound, used as a disinfectant and for chemical synthesis |
Bisphenol A | and other bisphenols produced from ketones and phenol / cresol |
BHT | (butylated hydroxytoluene) - a fat-soluble antioxidant and food additive |
4-Nonylphenol |
a breakdown product of detergents and nonoxynol-9
|
Orthophenyl phenol |
a citrus fruits
|
Picric acid | (trinitrophenol) - an explosive material
|
Phenolphthalein | pH indicator |
Xylenol | used in antiseptics & disinfectants |
Biosynthesis
Phenolics are formed by three different biosynthetic pathways: (i) the shikimate/chorizmate or succinylbenzoate pathway, which produces the phenyl propanoid derivatives (C6–C3); (ii) the acetate/malonate or polyketide pathway, which produces the side-chain-elongated phenyl propanoids, including the large group of flavonoids (C6–C3–C6) and some quinones; and (iii) the acetate/mevalonate pathway, which produces the aromatic terpenoids, mostly monoterpenes, by dehydrogenation reactions.
In plants, the phenolic units are
In olive oil, tyrosol forms esters with fatty acids.[25] In rye, alkylresorcinols are phenolic lipids.
Some acetylations involve terpenes like geraniol.[26] Those molecules are called meroterpenes (a chemical compound having a partial terpenoid structure).
Methylations can occur by the formation of an
Biodegradation
The white rot fungus
Applications
Tannins are used in the tanning industry.
Some natural phenols can be used as biopesticides. Furanoflavonoids like karanjin or rotenoids are used as acaricide or insecticide.[28]
Some phenols are sold as dietary supplements. Phenols have been investigated as drugs. For instance, Crofelemer (USAN trade name Fulyzaq) is a drug under development for the treatment of diarrhea associated with anti-HIV drugs. Additionally, derivatives have been made of phenolic compound, combretastatin A-4, an anticancer molecule, including nitrogen or halogens atoms to increase the efficacy of the treatment.[30]
Industrial processing and analysis
Phenol extraction
Phenol extraction is a processing technology used to prepare phenols as raw materials, compounds or additives for industrial wood processing and for chemical industries.
The recovery of natural phenols from biomass residue is part of biorefining.[31]
Separation
The
Analytical methods
Studies on evaluating antioxidant capacity can use
Detection can be made by recombinant
Profiling
Phenolic profiling can be achieved with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS).[36]
Quantification
A method for phenolic content quantification is
Some methods for quantification of total phenolic content are based on
Lamaison and Carnet have designed a test for the determination of the total flavonoid content of a sample (AlCI3 method). After proper mixing of the sample and the reagent, the mixture is incubated for 10 minutes at ambient temperature and the absorbance of the solution is read at 440 nm. Flavonoid content is expressed in mg/g of quercetin.[37]
Quantitation results produced by the means of
Antioxidant effect assessment
- In vitro measurements
Other tests measure the antioxidant capacity of a fraction. Some make use of the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation, which is reactive towards most antioxidants including phenolics, thiols and vitamin C.[38] During this reaction, the blue ABTS radical cation is converted back to its colorless neutral form. The reaction may be monitored spectrophotometrically. This assay is often referred to as the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay. The reactivity of the various antioxidants tested are compared to that of Trolox, which is a vitamin E analog.
Other antioxidant capacity assays that use Trolox as a standard include the
A cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay also exists. Dichlorofluorescin is a probe that is trapped within cells and is easily oxidized to fluorescent
Other methods include
- In vivo models
Larvae of the model animal
Genetic analysis
The phenolic biosynthetic and metabolic pathways and enzymes can be studied by means of
Natural occurrences
Phenols are found in the natural world, especially in the plant kingdom.
Occurrences in prokaryotes
The proteobacterium
Occurrences in fungi
- In yeasts
Aromatic alcohols (example: tyrosol) are produced by the yeast Candida albicans.[50] They are also found in beer.[51] These molecules are quorum sensing compounds for Saccharomyces cerevisiae.[52]
- Metabolism
Aryldialkylphosphatase (also known as organophosphorus hydrolase, phosphotriesterase, and paraoxon hydrolase) uses an aryl dialkyl phosphate and H2O to produce dialkyl phosphate and an aryl alcohol.
Occurrences in lichen
Gyrophoric acid, a depside, and orcinol are found in lichen.[53]
Occurrence in algae
The
Phenolic acids such as
Occurrence in land plants (embryophytes)
Occurrences in vascular plants
Phenolic compounds are mostly found in
In ferns, compounds such as
In conifers (Pinophyta), phenolics are stored in polyphenolic parenchyma cells, a tissue abundant in the phloem of all conifers.[61]
The
Occurrences in monocotyledons
Alkylresorcinols can be found in cereals.[citation needed]
2,4-Bis(4-hydroxybenzyl)phenol is a phenolic compound found in the orchids Gastrodia elata and Galeola faberi.[citation needed]
Occurrences in non-vascular plants
Phenolics can also be found in non-vascular land plants (bryophytes). Dihydrostilbenoids and bis(dibenzyls) can be found in liverworts (Marchantiophyta), for instance, the macrocycles cavicularin and riccardin C. Though lignin is absent in mosses (Bryophyta) and hornworts (Anthocerotophyta), some phenolics can be found in those two taxa.[63] For instance, rosmarinic acid and a rosmarinic acid 3'-O-β-D-glucoside can be found in the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis.[64]
Occurrences in other eukaryotes
Occurrences in insects
The hardening of the protein component of
Occurrences in mammals
In female elephants, the two compounds
Roles
In some cases of natural phenols, they are present in vegetative
Role in soils
In
In the soil, soluble phenols face four different fates. They might be degraded and mineralized as a carbon source by
Role in survival
Phenolic compounds can act as protective agents, inhibitors, natural animal toxicants and pesticides against invading organisms, i.e. herbivores, nematodes, phytophagous insects, and fungal and bacterial pathogens. The scent and pigmentation conferred by other phenolics can attract symbiotic microbes, pollinators and animals that disperse fruits.[23]
Defense against predators
Volatile phenolic compounds are found in plant
In the kelp species
Defense against infection
In
Stilbenes are produced in Eucalyptus sideroxylon in case of pathogens attacks. Such compounds can be implied in the hypersensitive response of plants. High levels of phenolics in some woods can explain their natural preservation against rot.[97]
In plants,
Role in allelopathic interactions
Natural phenols can be involved in
Phenolics, and in particular
Content in human food
Notable sources of natural phenols in
Natural phenols can also be found in fatty matrices like olive oil.[104] Unfiltered olive oil has the higher levels of phenols, or polar phenols that form a complex phenol-protein complex.
Phenolic compounds, when used in
Some advocates for
Human metabolism
In animals and humans, after ingestion, natural phenols become part of the
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Books
- Biochemistry of phenolic compounds, by J. B. Harborne, 1964, Academic Press (Google Books)
- Plant phenolics, by Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon, 1972, Oliver and Boyd Editions (Google Books, ISBN 9780050025123)
- The Biochemistry of plant phenolics, by C. F. van Sumere and P. J. Lea, Phytochemical Society of Europe, 1985, Clarendon Press (Google Books, ISBN 9780198541707)
- Biochemistry of Phenolic Compounds, by Wilfred Vermerris and Ralph Nicholson, 2006, Springer (Google book)
External links
Databases
- Phenol-Explorer (phenol-explorer.eu), a database dedicated to phenolics found in food by Augustin Scalbert, INRA Clermont-Ferrand, Unité de Nutrition Humaine (Human food unit)
- Phenols at ChEBI (Chemical Entities of Biological Interest)
- ChEMBLdb, a database of bioactive drug-like small molecules by the European Bioinformatics Institute
- Foodb, a database of compounds found in food