Leucoanthocyanidin (flavan-3,4-diols) are colorless chemical compounds related to

anthocyanidin Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments, the sugar-free counterparts of anthocyanins. They are based on the flavylium cation, an oxonium ion, with various groups substituted for its hydrogen atoms. They generally change color from red through ...

s and

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

s. Leucoanthocyanins can be found in ''

Anadenanthera peregrina ''Anadenanthera peregrina'', also known as yopo, jopo, cohoba, parica or calcium tree, is a perennial tree of the genus ''Anadenanthera'' native to the Caribbean and South America. It grows up to tall, and has a horny bark. Its flowers grow ...

'' and in several species of ''

Nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' () is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mos ...

'' including '' N. burbidgeae'', '' N. muluensis'', '' N. rajah'', '' N. tentaculata'', and '' N. × alisaputrana''. Such compounds include: *

Leucocyanidin Leucocyanidin is a colorless chemical compound that is a member of the class of natural products known as leucoanthocyanidins. Chemistry (+)-Leucocyanidin can be synthesized from (+)-dihydroquercetin by reduction with sodium borohydride. Mola ...

Leucodelphinidin Leucodelphinidin is a colorless chemical compound related to leucoanthocyanidins. It can be found in '' Acacia auriculiformis'', in the bark of Karada ('' Cleistanthus collinus'') and in the kino (gum) from ''Eucalyptus pilularis''. Other species ...

Leucofisetinidin Leucofisetinidin is a flavan-3,4-diol (leucoanthocyanidin), a type of natural phenolic substance. It is the monomer of condensed tannins called profisetinidins. Those tannins can be extracted from the heartwood of ''Acacia mearnsii'' or from th ...

Leucomalvidin Leucoanthocyanidin (flavan-3,4-diols) are colorless chemical compounds related to anthocyanidins and anthocyanins. Leucoanthocyanins can be found in '' Anadenanthera peregrina'' and in several species of '' Nepenthes'' including '' N. burbidg ...

Leucopelargonidin Leucopelargonidin is a colorless chemical compound related to leucoanthocyanins. It can be found in ''Albizia lebbeck'' (East Indian walnut), in the fruit of ''Anacardium occidentale'' (Cashew), in the fruit of ''Areca catechu'' (Areca nut), in th ...

Leucopeonidin Leucopeonidin is a leucoanthocyanidin. A leucopeonidin glycoside is found in the bark of ''Ficus bengalensis ''Ficus benghalensis'', commonly known as the banyan, banyan fig and Indian banyan, is a tree native to the Indian Subcontinent. Specim ...

* Leucorobinetinidin * Melacacidin * Teracacidin from ''

Acacia obtusifolia ''Acacia obtusifolia'', commonly known as stiff-leaf wattle or blunt-leaf wattle, is a perennial tree in subfamily Mimosoideae of family Fabaceae. Description ''Acacia obtusifolia'' is an upright or spreading perennial tree which grows from 1. ...

'' and ''

Acacia maidenii ''Acacia maidenii'', also known as Maiden's wattle, is a tree native to Australia (New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria). It has been introduced into India, (Tamil Nadu) and Argentina, and it grows on plantations in South Africa. Descriptio ...

'' heartwoods Leucoanthocyanidins have been demonstrated to be intermediates in anthocyanidin biosynthesis in flowers of ''

Matthiola incana ''Matthiola incana'' is a species of flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Common names include Brompton stock, common stock, hoary stock, ten-week stock, and gilly-flower. The common name stock usually refers to this species, thou ...

''.Leucoanthocyanidins as intermediates in anthocyanidin biosynthesis in flowers of ''Matthiola incana'' R. Br. Werner Heller, Lothar Britsch, Gert Forkmann and Hans Grisebach, 1984
/ref> Bate-smith recommended in 1954 the use of the

Forestal Forestal is a solvent used in chromatography, composed of acetic acid, water, and hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive ...

solvent for the isolation of leuco-anthocyanins.

Metabolism

Leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase In enzymology, a leucocyanidin oxygenase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :leucocyanidin + 2-oxoglutarate + O2 \rightleftharpoons cis- and trans-dihydroquercetins + succinate + CO2 + 2 H2O The 3 substrates of this enzyme ar ...

uses flavan-3,4-diols to produce

3-hydroxyanthocyanidins Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments, the sugar-free counterparts of anthocyanins. They are based on the flavylium cation, an oxonium ion, with various groups substituent, substituted for its hydrogen atoms. They generally change color from ...

. The gene encoding the enzyme (PpLDOX) has been identified in

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

and expression has been studied in ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curre ...

''.Regulation of the leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase gene expression in ''Vitis vinifera'', Gollop R; Farhi S.; Perl A. 2001
/ref>

References

{{Leucoanthocyanidin Vicinal diols