Non-enzymatic reduction of quinone methides during oxidative coupling of monolignols: implications for the origin of benzyl structures in lignins
作者:Anders Holmgren、G?sta Brunow、Gunnar Henriksson、Liming Zhang、John Ralph
DOI:10.1039/b606369a
日期:——
Lignin is believed to be synthesized by oxidative coupling of 4-hydroxyphenylpropanoids. In native lignin there are some types of reduced structures that cannot be explained solely by oxidative coupling. In the present work we showed via biomimetic model experiments that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), in an uncatalyzed process, reduced a β-aryl ether quinone methide to its benzyl derivative. A number of other biologically significant reductants, including the enzyme cellobiose dehydrogenase, failed to produce the reduced structures. Synthetic dehydrogenation polymers of coniferyl alcohol synthesized (under oxidative conditions) in the presence of the reductant NADH produced the same kind of reduced structures as in the model experiment, demonstrating that oxidative and reductive processes can occur in the same environment, and that reduction of the in situ-generated quinone methides was sufficiently competitive with water addition. In situ reduction of β–β-quinone methides was not achieved in this study. The origin of racemic benzyl structures in lignins therefore remains unknown, but the potential for simple chemical reduction is demonstrated here.
据信,木质素是由 4-羟基苯丙烷氧化偶联合成的。在原生木质素中,有一些类型的还原结构不能完全用氧化偶联来解释。在本研究中,我们通过仿生模型实验表明,烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸(NADH)在未催化的情况下,可将β-芳基醚醌甲苷还原为其苄基衍生物。其他一些具有重要生物意义的还原剂,包括纤维素生物糖脱氢酶,都未能产生还原结构。在还原剂 NADH 的存在下合成的针叶醇脱氢聚合物(在氧化条件下)产生了与模型实验中相同的还原结构,这表明氧化和还原过程可以在同一环境中发生,而且原位生成的醌甲醚的还原与加水具有充分的竞争性。本研究未实现原位还原 β-β-醌甲苷。因此,木质素中外消旋苄基结构的来源仍然未知,但本文展示了简单化学还原的潜力。