Alkannin is a natural dye that is obtained from the extracts of Alkanna tinctoria which is found in the south of France. The dye is used as a food coloring and in cosmetics; the European E number schedule, it is numbered E103. It is used as a red-brown food additive in regions such as Australia.[2] Alkannin is deep red in an acid and blue in an alkaline environment.[3] The chemical structure as a naphthoquinone derivative was first determined by Brockmann in 1936.[4] The R-enantiomer of alkannin is known as shikonin, and the racemic mixture of the two is known as shikalkin.[5][6]

Biosynthesis

The enzyme 4-hydroxybenzoate geranyltransferase utilizes geranyl diphosphate and 4-hydroxybenzoate to produce 3-geranyl-4-hydroxybenzoate and diphosphate. These compounds are then used to form alkannin.[6]

Research

Because the root bark (cork layers) of Alkanna tinctoria contains large amounts of red naphthoquinone pigments, including alkannin, the roots of these plants are red-purple. When extracted from fresh tissues, the pigment gradually darkens over several days, finally forming black precipitates, which are thought to be polymers.[7]

References

  1. ^ The Merck Index, 11th Edition, 243
  2. ^ Additives Archived 2011-04-06 at the Wayback Machine, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
  3. ^ "Alkanet" in Dispensatory of the United States of America, year 1918, edited by Joseph P. Remington and Horatio C. Wood.
  4. ^ H. Brockmann (1936). "Die Konstitution des Alkannins, Shikonins und Alkannans". Justus Liebigs Ann. Chem. 521: 1–47. doi:10.1002/jlac.19365210102.
  5. ^ Shmuel Yannai (2012). Dictionary of Food Compounds. CRC Press. p. 478.
  6. ^ a b Vassilios P. Papageorgiou; Andreana N. Assimopoulou; Elias A. Couladouros; et al. (1999). "The Chemistry and Biology of Alkannin, Shikonin, and Related Naphthazarin Natural Products". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 38 (3): 270–300. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990201)38:3<270::AID-ANIE270>3.0.CO;2-0. PMID 29711637.
  7. ^ Yazaki, Kazufumi (2017). "Lithospermum erythrorhizon cell cultures: Present and future aspects". Plant Biotechnology. 34 (3): 131–142. doi:10.5511/plantbiotechnology.17.0823a. PMC 6565996. PMID 31275019.