Perilla frutescens is an annual herb of the mint family native to East Asia. Polyphenols present in perilla have various structural varieties with large diversity of biological activities. It is direct influence the quality of perilla plant and their potential functions. Some of these products have been studied and proven to be effective source of phenolic antioxidants. The aqueous extract cont...

We report on a 'green' method for the utilization of carbon dioxide as C1 unit for the regioselective synthesis of (E)-cinnamic acids via regioselective enzymatic carboxylation of para-hydroxystyrenes. Phenolic acid decarboxylases from bacterial sources catalyzed the β-carboxylation of para-hydroxystyrene derivatives with excellent regio- and (E/Z)-stereoselectivity by exclusively acting at the...

A constitutive enzyme present in strains of Aerobacter has been found to decarboqdate phenylacrylic (cinnamic) acids possessing a 4-hydroxy group to the corresponding hydroxystyrenes nonoxidatively. Two such products, 4-hydroxystyrene (4-vinylphenol) and 3 ,Cdihydroxystyrene (4-vinylcatechol) from p-coumaric and caffeic acids, respectively, were purified and identified. Only 4-hydroxystyrene ha...

A constitutive enzyme present in strains of Aerobacter has been found to decarboqdate phenylacrylic (cinnamic) acids possessing a 4-hydroxy group to the corresponding hydroxystyrenes nonoxidatively. Two such products, 4-hydroxystyrene (4-vinylphenol) and 3 ,Cdihydroxystyrene (4-vinylcatechol) from p-coumaric and caffeic acids, respectively, were purified and identified. Only 4-hydroxystyrene ha...

The photosynthetic procaryote Anacystis nidulans converts L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine into benzoic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, respectively. Results obtained with thylakoid fractions support the hypothesis that the reaction sequence is catalyzed by thylakoid-bound enzyme complexes consisting of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and benzoate synthase of tyrosine ammonia-lyase and p-hydroxybenzo...

The wild mushroom Leucopaxillus candidus (Bres.) Singer was studied for the first time to obtain information about its chemical composition, nutritional value and bioactivity. Free sugars, fatty acids, tocopherols, organic and phenolic acids were analysed by chromatographic techniques coupled to different detectors. L. candidus methanolic extract was tested regarding antioxidant potential (redu...

Several benzoic, cinnamic and phenylacetic acid derivatives were screened with 20 micro-organisms, mainly fungi, for the reduction of their carboxylic function. For all organisms several compounds were reduced in fairly good yields up to 80% to the corresponding alcohol. No general rule could be established, concerning the substitution pattern, as to which compounds were transformed to the alco...