Abstract:

Phenolic acid compounds are a class of secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, where they play essential roles in plant growth, development, and defense mechanisms. These compounds are known for their diverse bioactivities, including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties, making them valuable natural products with significant therapeutic potential. In recent years, as understanding of their biological functions has deepened through advanced analytical techniques and molecular biology studies, phenolic acid compounds have shown increasingly promising potential for the applications in the fields of food preservation, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, particularly as natural alternatives to synthetic additives.However, the traditional method of obtaining these compounds through plant extraction is often limited by factors such as extraction efficiency, purity, and scalability, which are influenced by seasonal variations, plant species differences, and extraction methodologies. Recently, biosynthesis has emerged as a novel and promising approach to produce phenolic acid compounds in a more sustainable and controllable manner, addressing many of the limitations associated with conventional extraction methods. This review summarizes the application of biosynthesis in phenolic acid compounds production, focusing on recent advances in microbial fermentation and plant cell culture technologies.By employing genetic engineering and metabolic engineering techniques, including gene knockout, overexpression, and pathway optimization strategies, it is possible to significantly enhance the yield and purity of these compounds in various biological systems. For example, the overexpression of key enzymes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway, such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), can lead to increased production of phenolic acids in both microbial and plant hosts. However, there are still many unknowns regarding the biosynthetic mechanisms of phenolic acids that require further investigation, particularly concerning pathway regulation and metabolic flux control. The regulatory mechanisms of different biosynthetic pathways and their expression variations among various plant species remain to be fully elucidated through comprehensive omics studies and comparative genomics approaches.In addition to biosynthesis challenges, the bioavailability and stability of phenolic acid compounds remain critical challenges that need to be addressed for their practical applications in commercial products. Phenolic acids are often prone to degradation under certain conditions such as high temperature, extreme pH, or prolonged storage, which can limit their effectiveness and shelf-life in final formulations. Therefore, future research should focus on exploring the biosynthetic pathways of phenolic acid compounds in greater detail using systems biology approaches, optimizing extraction and purification techniques to improve efficiency and purity through innovative separation technologies, and developing efficient biosynthetic systems using synthetic biology tools and high-throughput screening methods. These efforts will be crucial in realizing the widespread application of phenolic acid compounds across multiple fields including medicine, agriculture, food industry, and personal care products, ultimately contributing to the development of sustainable bioprocesses and value-added natural products.

Key words: phenolic acid compounds, plant extraction, biosynthesis, Shikimic acid pathway, Phenylpropane pathway, metabolic engineering

摘要：

酚酸类化合物，作为一类广泛存在于植物中的次生代谢产物，展现出抗氧化、抗炎、抗癌及抑菌等多种生物活性。随着研究者对这类化合物了解的不断加深，其在食品、医药和化妆品等多个领域的应用潜力逐渐显现。传统上，从植物中提取酚酸类化合物是获取此类物质的主要途径；然而，由于受到效率低下与纯度不足等因素制约，加之提取过程耗时较长，这种方法正面临难以满足市场日益增长需求的问题。本文总结了近年来逐步受到重视的基于基因工程与代谢工程技术的新型生产方法——生物合成技术在酚酸类化合物中的应用。该技术不仅能够显著提升酚酸类化合物的产量与品质，还实现了更加环保高效的制备流程。尽管如此，有关酚酸类化合物生物合成的具体机制仍有待进一步阐明，特别是不同合成路径之间调控机制尚不完全清楚。此外，如何提高这些化合物的生物利用度及其稳定性也是当前亟需解决的关键挑战之一。因此，未来的研究工作应当致力于揭示更多关于酚酸类化合物生物合成过程的信息，并探索更为先进的合成策略，以促进其更广泛的应用与发展。

关键词: 酚酸类化合物, 植物提取技术, 生物合成, 莽草酸途径, 苯丙烷途径，代谢工程