Biosynthesis of Novel Shikonin Glucosides by Enzymatic Glycosylation

Shikonin, a natural naphthoquinone, has attracted much attention due to its various biological activities. Two shikonin glucosides, shikonin-1′,8-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and shikonin-1′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), were biosynthesized through in vitro enzymatic glycosylation and their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques. The water-solubility and stability of compounds 1 and 2 were significantly higher than those of the...