title: Isolation and characterization of polyphenol oxidase from Sardinian poisonous and non-poisonous chemotypes of Ferula communis (L.).
abstract: Ferula communis (L.), a plant belonging to Apiaceae, is widely present in Sardinia, Italy. Currently, interest in F. communis focuses on the presence of two chemotypes in the wild. One chemotype is poisonous to animals, whereas the other chemotype is non-poisonous. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) has been extracted and partially purified from the two chemotypes of F. communis. The biochemical characterization of the enzymes showed significant differences. In particular, while the two PPOs were not able to use 6- and 7-hydroxycoumarin as substrates, they showed distinct specificity for 6,7- and 7,8-dihydroxycoumarin. Significant differences in the enzyme behavior towards common PPO inhibitors were also observed. In addition, activation energy and activation energy for denaturation were determined, showing significant differences between FP-PPO and FNP-PPO, particularly for denaturation kinetics. The possible roles of the two PPOs in determining differences in composition and toxicity of the two F. communis chemotypes are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato (CA), Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zucca
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sanjust
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sollai
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ballero
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pintus
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rescigno
mesh_terms: D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D005309:Ferula / Q000201:enzymology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007558:Italy; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D004156:Catechol Oxidase