熊果苷的生物合成研究进展

Research progress in biosynthesis of arbutin

摘要:

熊果苷是一种氢醌衍生的糖苷化合物，根据糖苷键的构型不同又分为β-熊果苷和α-熊果苷。熊果苷作为安全稳定的美白剂被广泛应用于化妆品领域，同时还具有抗氧化、抗菌、抗炎症、抗肿瘤等药理活性。植物提取法生产熊果苷存在植物生长周期长、提取工艺复杂、产率低等问题，而化学合成法合成熊果苷具有反应条件严苛、立体选择性差、收率低等缺点。近年来，生物合成法因其反应条件简单温和、生产过程经济环保等优势，逐渐成为合成熊果苷的热门研究方向。本文总结了4种熊果苷生物合成方式的最新研究进展，包括植物转化法、酶催化法、全细胞催化法以及微生物发酵法，讨论了这几种生物合成方式的优势与不足，并展望了其未来发展方向。

Abstract:

Arbutin, a glycosylated compound of hydroquinone, exists in two forms of β-arbutin and α-arbutin based on the configuration of the glycosidic bond. As a safe and stable whitening agent, arbutin is widely used in cosmetics, and it has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor activities. The production of arbutin by plant extraction faces challenges such as long plant growth periods, complex extraction processes, and low yields. The chemical synthesis of arbutin suffers from harsh reaction conditions, poor stereo-selectivity, and low yields. In recent years, biosynthesis emerges as the most popular method to produce arbutin because of the simple and mild reaction conditions, low costs, and environmental friendliness. This review summarizes the research progress in four biosynthetic strategies for arbutin, including plant conversion, enzyme catalysis, whole-cell catalysis, and microbial fermentation. The advantages and limitations of these biosynthetic strategies are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.