Oats produce a group of phenolic secondary metabolites termed �avenanthramides�. Among food crops these metabolites are unique to oat. In addition to their biological role as phytoalexins, the avenanthramides are potent antioxidants in vitro and have potential as nutraceuticals. In cellular assays and animal models they demonstrate potent anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-kb). Although produced constitutively in the oat grain, the levels of avenanthramides tend to be highly variable and the levels are strongly influenced by environment, genotype and genotype � environment interactions. Recent work in my laboratory has shown that avenanthramide levels can be elevated by application of certatin in vegetative tissue, and to some extent in the grain, can be enhanced by treatment with plant defense activators such as acibenzolar-S-methyl (benzothiadiazoles, BTH) and isonicotinic acid (INA). Treatment of the plants with BTH or INA produced a strong up-regulation of avenanthramide biosynthesis within 48 hours. The dynamics of avenanthramide biosynthesis in various tissues of oat plants will be described in detail. Genotypic variation in avenanthramide production will also be described.

Oat avenanthramide biosynthesis elicited by plant defense activators

247th National Meeting (2014)

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