Integrated analysis of chemical reaction products in Cretaceous amber and their biological activity

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K05399
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38040:Bioorganic chemistry-related
• Research Institution: Iwate University
• Principal Investigator: KIMURA Ken-ichi 岩手大学, 農学部, 教授 (30344625)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 越野 広雪 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 環境資源科学研究センター, ユニットリーダー (50321758)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Kuji amber / Kujigamberol / seco-Kujigamberol / Mutant yeast / Spanish amber / Anti-allergy / Social implementation / Chemiical Biology

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Kuji amber differs from other ambers produced overseas, such as amber from the Baltic Sea, in that it lacks 1 to 4 carbon atoms in diterpenoids, and it also contains new biologically active compounds that have been cyclized or aromatic cyclized, oxidized or reduced. In order to elucidate the reason, we isolated and elucidated a large number of compounds from Kuji amber and amber produced overseas.
We identified the biologically active compounds in amber from Spain, which is said to have been produced 125 million years ago and whose tree of origin is the same as amber from Kuji (90 million years ago), and quantified their amounts. The results suggested that the diagenesis of Kuji amber was not as strong as that of Spanish amber, nor was it as weak as that of Baltic amber, indicating that it was the result of a reaction that was moderate for it to transform into a new compound.

Free Research Field

ケミカルバイオロジー

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我が国の貴重な地下天然資源で、化粧品としても実用化した久慈産琥珀に含まれる新規の生物活性物質を単離精製して構造を決めると共に、既知物質ばかりが単離される他国産琥珀の生物活性物質とを比較して、久慈産琥珀の特徴と優位性を明らかにした。今後、化粧品以外の付加価値の高い機能性製品への久慈産琥珀抽出物の利用が期待できる。さらに、琥珀の「有機地球化学」分野のこれまでの研究に、生物活性を考慮した「ケミカルバイオロジー」分野の研究手法を持ち込むことで、新たな研究領域の確立と社会実装へ展開できる。