Betalains are a class of plant pigments that are responsible for the characteristic red-violet ( betacyanin ) or yellow ( betaxanthin ) color of certain fruits and vegetables . These naturally occurring , water-soluble , and nitrogencontaining pigments are commonly used as food coloring agents . Recently , research findings have brought to the forefront , the strong antioxidant potential of betalains , making them potential candidates to produce health foods and combat various diseases . At present , betalains are only produced in plants of the order Caryophyllales and higher fungi . Hence , metabolic engineering has been explored to genetically modify cultivable non- Caryophyllales plants , to enhance the production and scalability of these pigments . Although transgenic betalain-accumulating plants have been developed over the years , their applications in producing healthcare food resources are yet to be explored .
To address this gap , a collaborative research team from Tokyo University of Science ( TUS ) and Iwate Biotechnology Research Center , Japan , led by Professor Gen-ichiro Arimura from TUS , attempted to genetically modify potato and tomato plants to produce betacyanin . Their aim was to test the therapeutic efficacy of betacyanin producing tomatoes and potatoes against murine models of colitis and inflammation-inducing macrophages . Their findings were published in Biotechnology & Bioengineering on January 26 , 2023 .
Discussing the results of this study , Prof . Arimura says , “ We successfully engineered potato tubers and tomato fruits to co-express betacyanin biosynthesis genes [ genes for CYP76AD1 from Beta vulgaris , DOD ( DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase ) and 5GT ( cyclo-DOPA 5-Oglucosyltransferase ) from Mirabilis jalapa ] under the control of suitable promoters . This enhanced the endogenous accumulation of betanin and isobetanin — two common types of betacyanin — in these transgenic vegetables . The accumulation of these pigments made them appear dark red in color upon maturation , as compared to their wild-type counterparts .”
Bigger Impact
Since macrophages play an important role in several inflammatory diseases , the team further tested the therapeutic efficacy of these transgenic vegetables in macrophage-like cells ( RAW264.7 ), following immune response stimulation by lipopolysaccharides ( LPS ). They observed that the extracts of the transgenic tomato fruit exerted higher anti-inflammatory activity compared to their wild-type counterparts . This was attributed to a decrease in the LPS-stimulated transcription of the proinflammatory cytokine gene — a Tnf-α gene , within transgenic cells .
“ These findings were in line with the antiinflammatory effects of transgenic tomato that we observed in the intestines of murine models with dextran sulfate sodium ( DSS ) -induced colitis . A marked improvement in their body
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