Biotransformation of thymol by hairy roots of transgenic Polygonum multiflorum

The exogenous substrate, thymol, was firstly biotransformed by using suspension hairy roots of transgenic Polygonum multflorum, and its biotransformed situation was also investigated.

After five days co-cultivated period, the transformed product was isolated by Thin Layer Chromatograph and Column Chromatograph, with the structure elucidated by physic-chemical methods and spectra data. Meanwhile, the time course of biotransformation (T-C) for thymol was also measured by HPLC to illuminate its bio-transformed situation.

The glycosylated product, namely DMP, was isolated and purified, which structure was determined as 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) phenyl- beta-D-glucopyranoside. And the distribution of DMP in the medium or culture was varied in different co-cultivated periods, and for five days co-cultivated period, it mainly existed in the medium.

The hairy roots of Polygonum multiflorum were able to convert the aromatic exogenous substrate, thymol, into its glycoside. Furthermore, the time course indicated the relationship between DMP and co-cultivated period.