Myrtillin is an anthocyanin. It is the 3- glucoside of

delphinidin Delphinidin (also delphinidine) is an anthocyanidin, a primary plant pigment, and also an antioxidant. Delphinidin gives blue hues to flowers in the genera ''Viola'' and ''Delphinium''. It also gives the blue-red color of the grape that produc ...

. It can be found in all green plants, most abundantly in blackcurrant, blueberry,

huckleberry Huckleberry is a name used in North America for several plants in the family Ericaceae, in two closely related genera: ''Vaccinium'' and '' Gaylussacia''. The huckleberry is the state fruit of Idaho. Nomenclature The name 'huckleberry' is a No ...

bilberry Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is '' Vaccinium myrtill ...

leaves and in various myrtles, roselle plants, and ''

Centella asiatica ''Centella asiatica'', commonly known as gotu kola, kodavan, Indian pennywort and Asiatic pennywort, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and islan ...

'' plant. It is also present in

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

and oatmeal. The

sumac Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Eas ...

fruit's pericarp owes its dark red colour to anthocyanin pigments, of which chrysanthemin, myrtillin and delphinidin have yet been identified. The various colors, such as red, mauve, purple, violet, and blue in ''

Hydrangea macrophylla ''Hydrangea macrophylla'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of ...

'' are developed from myrtillin complexes with metal ions called metalloanthocyanins.

Metabolism

The enzyme

anthocyanin 3-O-glucoside 6''-O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase Anthocyanin 3-O-glucoside 6″-O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase is an enzyme forming delphinidin 3-(6-''p''-coumaroyl)glucoside from delphinidin 3-''O''-glucoside (myrtillin) and ''p''-coumaroyl-CoA. It is an enzyme in the anthocyanin biosynthesi ...

produces delphinidin 3-(6-p-coumaroyl)glucoside from myrtillin and ''p''-

coumaroyl-CoA Coumaroyl-coenzyme A is the thioester of coenzyme-A and coumaric acid. Coumaroyl-coenzyme A is a central intermediate in the biosynthesis of myriad natural products found in plants. These products include lignols (precursors to lignin and ligno ...

in the

anthocyanin biosynthesis 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 comp ...

pathway.

References

{{Anthocyanins Anthocyanidins Flavonoid glucosides