Weizmann Institute of
Science
Here's a reason not to peel tomatoes: A new method of plant analysis, developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, has identified healthful antioxidants in tomato skins.
In
fact, as reported recently in Nature Communications, the new method
reveals that biologically active plant substances typically associated with
particular plant species -- including those providing health benefits -- are
much more prevalent across the plant kingdom than was previously thought.
Plants produce, in
total, an estimated million-plus organic chemicals, and each plant is believed
to contain as many as 15,000, on average.
To address the challenge of identifying the majority of such "specialized metabolites" in any given plant, Dr. Nir Shahaf and other members of a team headed by Prof. Asaph Aharoni of Weizmann's Plant and Environmental Sciences Department created a database of plant metabolites, called WeizMass.
Shahaf then developed a
computer tool, MatchWeiz, which makes it possible to identify the metabolites
by checking experimental results from the metabolic analysis of a particular
plant against the database.
Using these new tools,
the scientists identified more than twenty metabolites that had never before
been reported in tomatoes, including certain antioxidants in the skin.
When the
researchers then compared the analysis of tomatoes with that of duckweed and
the research model Arabidopsis thaliana, they discovered an overlap in
specialized metabolite content among these strikingly different species.
These and other
results suggest that plant species are not as specialized in their metabolism
as has been commonly assumed.
In other words, valuable substances produced by
exotic plants may potentially be derived from more common species. The Weizmann
team has found, for instance, that both duckweed and Arabidopsis thaliana
contain -- albeit in smaller amounts -- certain metabolites used in traditional
medicine that until now have been isolated only from such oriental medicinal
plants as maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), ginger (Zingiber
officinale) and rock pine (Orostachys japonicus).
"WeizMass and
MatchWeiz can serve as extremely powerful tools for studying plant metabolism
and identifying metabolites with useful biological activity, including
potential drugs," says Aharoni.
WeizMass and MatchWeiz
are not limited to the study of plant metabolites but may also be used to
investigate the biology of other living systems, including animal and human
metabolism.
