Chinese scientists have successfully synthesized breviscapine, an extract from a Chinese herb that can cure cardio-cerebrovascular disease, according to Chinese Academy of Sciences.

 

中国科学家成功合成灯盏花素——一种可以至于心脑血管疾病的中药提取物。

 

Breviscapine is the extract from Erigeron breviscapus, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant that grows in China's southwestern regions. It was classified as a prescription¹ drug in Chinese medicine for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases 30 years ago. At present, more than 10 million patients use breviscapine and related drugs each year in China.

 

As the supply of Erigeron breviscapus is insufficient² to satisfy the growing market demand, Chinese scientists have developed an alternative, sustainable way to secure the breviscapine supply.

 

Scientists from Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Agricultural University decoded³ the biosynthetic pathway of breviscapine. They created a yeast⁵ cell factory to produce these breviscapine compounds using genomic analysis and synthetic⁴ biology tools.

 

The research was published online by Nature Communications on Jan. 31.

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