New Researches in Biotechnology - Facultatea de Biotehnologii ...

Proceeding of the 4 rd International Symposium“NEW RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY” USAMV Bucharest, Romania, 2011THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF MONASCUS METABOLITESNicoleta Radu 13 , Sidira Marianthi 2 , Mariana Ferdes 3 , Mariana Voicescu 41 U.S.A.M.V. Cluj Napoca, Bioengineering and Biotechnology Department. Corresponding author: Nicoleta Radu,e-mail: nicolbiotec@yahoo.com, phone number: 0730. 728.6942 Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis Greece3 Politehnica University of Bucharest, Bioengineering and Biotechnology Department4 Romanian Academy,Institute of Physical Chemistry IC Murgulescu, Dept of Supramolecular ChemistryAbstract. Many reports indicate the therapeutic effects for red yeast rice [1-3]. From this point ofview, experiments performed on cell line type Hep2 and WiDr indicated an inhibitory effect on cancercells. Another study performed on murin cell type RAW 264.7 stimulated with LPS reveal theinhibition of nitrogen oxide production in comparison with quercetin used as witness. Theseproperties is due to presence of some compounds like monakarin A-F, monacolin K, dimerumic acid,monascopyridine C-D, xanthomonasin A-B, monascumic acid, which exists in metabolites producedof Monascus and the presence of ascorbic acid and polifenols. Our study performed with alcoholicred yeast rice extracts in the presence of 1% of collagen, reveals a powerful antioxidant effect, inwhich the quenching ratio is 95% in comparison with luminol, used as witness. Studies performed invivo, regarding cicatrisation effect on mouse with the same sample (alcoholic extract of red yeast riceand 1 % collagen) indicate a potential cicatrisation effect, probably due to presence of glucosaminecompound which acts as cicatrisation factor.Keywords: Monascus metabolite, therapeutic effect1481. INTRODUCTIONThe pigments from Monascus metabolites, named red Monascus or Monascus, represent amixture of lypophylic azaphylone. These mixtures contain yellow pigments (ankaflavin andmonascin), their oxidised compounds respectively orange pigments (monascorubrine andrubropunctatine) and corresponding compounds with N (red pigment) rubropunctamineand monascorubramine, which derived from isochromene (figure 1) [1-4]. The polyketidicchains of azaphylones was asambled from acetic acid (which represent the startercompound) and 5 molecules of malonic acid (units of chain extension) [5-8].The chromophores from hexaketidic compounds were obtained via monascusone A. Theexternal chains of this compounds constitute a closed system of gama lactons obtainedwith condensation of 2-oxohexanoic acid with 2 –octooctanoic acid derived from fattyacids. The Nitrogen analogues of azaphylones were obtained by their reaction withaminoacids.Another type of compounds produced of Monascus sp. (named monascotinates) wasidentified from ethyl acetate extracts of Monascus pilosus BCRC 38093 metabolites. Thesecompounds have the structure presented in figure 2 and reveals the following spectralcharacteristics:Monasnicotinate A (1). Yellow oil. UV λ max (MeOH): 253, 280, 330 nm. IR ν max(near): 1668, 1712 cm -1 (C=0). ESI-MS: 380 ([M+Na] 4 ). HR-ESI-MS: 380,1837 ([M+Na] + ,C 2i H 27 NaN0 + 4 ; calc. 380,18353).