Researchers at the University of British Columbia Okanagan have decoded the biosynthetic pathway that enables certain tropical plants to produce mitraphylline, a scarce spirooxindole alkaloid with documented anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity. Using a combination of transcriptomics, enzyme assays, and heterologous expression, the team led by Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang and doctoral candidate Tuan-Anh Nguyen identified two previously uncharacterized enzymes: one that installs the signature spiro-ring junction and a second that completes the conversion to mitraphylline. These steps had remained elusive despite decades of study on Mitragyna and Uncaria species.
The discovery removes a major bottleneck in sustainable production. Because mitraphylline occurs only in minute quantities in wild plants, scalable laboratory synthesis has been impractical. With the responsible genes now known, microbial or plant-cell platforms can be engineered to generate the compound and its structural analogues under controlled “green chemistry” conditions. Such an approach could eventually supply consistent, high-purity material for preclinical oncology programs, including combination regimens that exploit the molecule’s immunomodulatory properties. The work was conducted in collaboration with the University of Florida and supported by Canadian and U.S. research councils.
