The Synthesis and Storage Sites of Phenolic Compounds in the Root and Rhizome of Echinacea purpurea

Zengqi Li, Tiexin Tang, Shejian Liang, Xiping Ning, Mei Bai, Hong Wu

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2012.34066                

Abstract

Cichoric acid is the main phenolic compound in the root and rhizome of the medicinal part, Echinacea purpurea that is known for possessing immune enhancing characteristics. In this study, we analysis the the synthesis and storage sites of phenolic compound in E. purpurea. We used fluorescent microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cytochemical and immunocytochemical localization to observe the distribution of phenolic compounds. Our results show that the phenolic compounds were mostly distributed in the cortex parenchyma cells, vascular parenchyma cells and pith parenchyma cells in the root and rhizome, and mainly present in the vacuoles, large intercellular spaces and their surrounding cell walls. No phenolic compounds were observed in the cytoplasm and the organelles. We concluded that the phenolic compounds were synthetized in the cortex parenchyma cells, vascular parenchyma cells and pith parenchyma cells in the root and rhizome, and stored in the vacuoles of parenchyma cells. The above results provided significantly cytological information for further approaching the metabolic regulation and transfer pathways of phenolic compounds in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Keywords

Echinacea purpurea; Cytochemical Localization; Immunocytochemical Localization; Phenolic Compounds; Root and Rhizome

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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