Two types of O-methyltransferase are involved in biosynthesis of anticancer methoxylated 4'-deoxyflavones in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi.

ABSTRACT: The medicinal plant Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is rich in specialized 4'-deoxyflavones, which are reported to have many health-promoting properties. We assayed Scutellaria flavones with different methoxyl groups on human cancer cell lines and found that polymethoxylated 4'-deoxyflavones, like skullcapflavone I and tenaxin I have stronger ability to induce apoptosis compared to unmethylated baicalein, showing that methoxylation enhances bioactivity as well as the physical properties of specialized flavones, while having no side-effects on healthy cells. We investigated the formation of methoxylated flavones and found that two O-methyltransferase (OMT) families are active in the roots of S. baicalensis. The Type II OMTs, SbPFOMT2 and SbPFOMT5, decorate one of two adjacent hydroxyl groups

SUBMITTER: Cui MY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8710825 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature