Abstract
Hydroxycinnamic acid amides (HCAAs) are natural compounds with antifungal, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Extraction from plants and chemical synthesis have been the major approaches to obtain these compounds. We used a biological method to synthesize HCAA derivatives (arylalkylamines). Two genes, SHT encoding serotonin N-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase and 4CL encoding 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase, were introduced into Escherichia coli. Using this E. coli transformant as a biocatalyst, 24 arylalkylamines were synthesized. The anti-inflammatory activities of five synthesized compounds, including N-p-coumaroyl phenethylamine, N-caffeoyl phenethylamine, N-p-coumaroyl 3-phenylpropylamine, N-p-coumaroyl 4-phenylbutylamine, and N-p-coumaroyl 4-methoxyphenethylamine, were measured. Among them, N-p-coumaroyl 4-phenylbutylamine showed the best anti-inflammatory activity.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (PJ00948301), Rural Development Administration, and the Priority Research Centers Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2009-0093824).
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Authors M. K. Song and S. J. Lee contributed equally to this work.
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Song, M.K., Lee, S.J., Kang, Y.Y. et al. Biological synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of arylalkylamine. Appl Biol Chem 60, 597–602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13765-017-0315-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13765-017-0315-7