Medicinal Plant Research 2024, Vol.14, No.5, 245-258 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 249 Figure 4 Anti-osteoporosis of effect of EU (Adopted from Peng et al., 2024) 4 Biosynthesis and Structure Modification 4.1 Biosynthetic pathways The biosynthetic pathways of natural compounds in E. ulmoides are complex and involve various enzymes and metabolic routes. For instance, the biosynthesis of glycosides, such as aucubin and geniposide, is facilitated by uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferases (UGTs), which catalyze the transfer of glycosyl groups from uridine-5′-diphosphate-glucose (UDPG) to specific substrates (Ouyang et al., 2021). Additionally, the methylerythritol-phosphate (MEP) pathway is predominantly responsible for the synthesis of isoprenyl diphosphate, a precursor in the rubber biosynthesis process in E. ulmoides. The dynamic changes in metabolite accumulation during leaf growth and development also highlight the importance of flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathways, which are regulated by transcription factors such as MYB and bHLH (Li et al., 2019). 4.2 Genetic engineering Genetic engineering has the potential to enhance the production of valuable compounds in E. ulmoides. The identification and characterization of 91 putative EuUGT genes across the complete genome of E. ulmoides provide a foundation for genetic manipulation aimed at optimizing glycoside biosynthesis. The high-quality de novo assembly of the E. ulmoides haploid genome, which includes 26,001 predicted protein-coding genes, offers new insights into genome structure and evolution, facilitating targeted genetic engineering efforts (Li et al., 2020). These advancements can lead to improved industrial and medicinal applications of E. ulmoides through the enhancement of specific biosynthetic pathways. 4.3 Structure-activity relationship The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of compounds derived from Eucommia ulmoides is crucial for understanding their pharmacological properties. For example, the SAR of flavonoids isolated fromE. ulmoides leaves has been studied in relation to their soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitory activity and anti-inflammatory properties. Compounds such as quercetin and kaempferol exhibited significant sEH inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of (22.5 ± 0.9) and (31.3 ± 2.6) μM, respectively (Bai et al., 2015). Additionally, the estrogenic properties of six compounds fromE. ulmoides were found to vary significantly in their selectivity for estrogen receptor subtypes α and β, indicating diverse phytoestrogen activities (Wang et al., 2011). These findings underscore the importance of detailed SAR studies to elucidate the mechanisms of action and potential therapeutic applications of E. ulmoides compounds.
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