Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) and its neurotoxin ODAP

Safety of botanical ingredients in personal care products/cosmetics

Genetic improvement of grass pea for low neurotoxin (β-ODAP) content.

Although grass pea is an environmentally successful robust legume with major traits of interest for food and nutrition security, the genetic potential of this orphan crop has long been neglected. Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a Neolithic plant that has survived millennia of cultivation and has spread over three continents. It is a robust legume crop that is considered one of the most resilient to climate changes and to be survival food during drought-triggered famines. The hardy penetrating root system allows the cultivation of grass pea in various soil types, including marginal ones. As an efficient nitrogen fixer, it meets its own nitrogen requirements and positively benefits subsequent crops. However, already in ancient India and Greece, overconsumption of the seeds and a crippling neurological disorder, later coined neurolathyrism, had been linked. Overemphasis of their suspected toxic properties has led to disregard the plant’s exceptionally positive agronomic properties and dietary advantages. In normal socio-economic and environmental situations, in which grass pea is part of a balanced diet, neurolathyrism is virtually non-existent. The etiology of neurolathyrism has been oversimplified and the deficiency in methionine in the diet has been overlooked. In view of the global climate change, this very adaptable and nutritious orphan crop deserves more attention. Grass pea can become a wonder crop if the double stigma on its reputation as a toxic plant and as food of the poor can be disregarded. Additionally, recent research has exposed the potential of grass pea as a health-promoting nutraceutical. Development of varieties with an improved balance in essential amino acids and diet may be relevant to enhance the nutritional value without jeopardizing the multiple stress tolerance of this promising crop.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00425-018-03084-0.pdf

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.): orphan crop, nutraceutical or just plain food?

The discovery of nonproteinogenic amino acids among natural products, either in native state or as fragments of complex molecules, has increased the level of interest in this family of molecules from different scientific standpoints. Compounds with valuable biological properties can be found among these atypical amino acids. In addition, they have served as building blocks for the synthesis of new molecules or as surrogates of native amino acids in known peptidic entities to modulate their biological behavior. In this context, R, -diamino acids and their derivatives esters and amides, have attracted a great deal of attention among organic chemists and biochemists through the years. This interest has been due to the ubiquitous nature of R, -diamino acids as key structural fragments of biologically active compounds. Beyond this focus, the simplest compound, 2,3-diaminopropionic acid, has recently found application in the environmentally safe production of hydrogen for fuel cells, as a selective carrier of CO2 through gel membranes.1a Also, it has served to assemble a molecular device that produces propelling motion upon IR irradiation1b and, lately, in the context of food chemistry, 2,3-diaminopropionic acid has been identified as an inhibitor of polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for the browning of fruits and vegetables1c and as an enhancer of Maillard browning.1d In spite of the incidence of these molecules in an increasing number of areas, this review will deal with the biological significance, the therapeutic uses, and other interesting applications of R, -diamino acids and their derivatives found in the existing literature. Additionally, aside from the above considerations, the structural complexity of these molecules, having two vicinal chiral centers has also represented a challenge for synthetic organic chemists, especially the synthesis of enantiopure materials. Therefore, the aim of this article will also be to provide a deep and general view of the existing methodology for the synthesis of aliphatic R, or 2,3-diamino acids and their simple derivatives, esters, * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: iqov379@ iqog.csic.es. Alma Viso was born in Madrid (Spain) in 1964. She obtained a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1992 from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). In 1992, she moved to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Fulbright fellow to work with Stephen L. Buchwald for 18 months. She joined the faculty at UCM (Madrid) in 1993 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in May 2002. In December 2002, she joined Instituto de Quı́mica Orgánica General, CSIC, as a Staff Researcher (Cientı́fico Titular) and was promoted to Senior Staff Researcher (Investigador Cientı́fico) in 2007. Her current research interests are focused in two main areas, the development of new methodologies in asymmetric synthesis using sulfoxides and sulfinamides and the application of these novel methods to efficient syntheses of therapeutically valuable products. Chem. Rev. PR1

Update 1 of: α,β-Diamino acids: biological significance and synthetic approaches.

A method for the simultaneous determination of β-ODAP, α-ODAP, homoarginine and polyamines in Lathyrus sativus by liquid chromatography using a new extraction procedure

Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) is a high-yielding, drought-resistant legume consumed as a food in Northern India and neighboring countries as well as in Ethiopia. Its development into an important food legume, however, has been hindered by the presence of the neurotoxin - beta-N-oxalyl-L-alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid (beta-ODAP) in seeds which, if consumed in large quantities for prolonged periods, can cause irreversible paralysis. Recently, some low-toxin lines have been developed that may prove safe for both animal and human foods. Cultivation of L. sativus should thus be considered in suitable regions because the demand for legume animal feed protein products is expected to increase. This paper addresses advances in understanding L. sativus from the perspective of its taxonomy, genetics, ecology, chemistry, nutrition, medicine, biology and for animal nutrition.

Zhi xiao Li

Papers

Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) and its neurotoxin ODAP

A method for the simultaneous determination of β-ODAP, α-ODAP, homoarginine and polyamines in Lathyrus sativus by liquid chromatography using a new extraction procedure

Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) and Its Neurotoxin ODAP