Plants have evolved a set of protecting mechanisms against pathogens, which include secondary metabolites and induced defense responses to pathogen attack. The biological role of purine alkaloids including caffeine is largely unknown. It has been proposed that caffeine confers a resistance against pathogenic bacteria and herbivores. We, in this study, tested direct effects on the growth of rice pathogenic microbes, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causing a bacterial leaf blight and Magnaporthe grisea (M. grisea) causing a rice blast. Cell growth of Xoo and M. grisea were significantly retarded in presence of high concentration (2mM) of caffeine. Exogenous caffeine (5mM) induced resistance of wild type rice (cv. Dongjin, susceptible to Xoo and M. grisea) against those pathogens. These results indicated that caffeine enhanced the basal resistance to infection with Xoo. In addition, expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes was tested in the caffeine treated rice to elucidate the acquired resistance by caffeine, resulted in induction of PR genes including OsPR1a and OsPrb1. We have generated a transgenic rice producing caffeine by introduction of three N- methyltransferase genes (CaXMT1, CaMXMT1, CaDXMT1) identified from coffee plant. The transgenic rice successfully expressed the three genes, synthesized caffeine up to 5ug/g and showed enhanced resistance to Xoo. We also observed that transcripts of PR genes such as the OsPR1a and OsPrb1 encoding PR-1 type pathogenesis-related protein increased in the caffeine-producing rice. These result showed that caffeine is likely to act a powerful factor to increase level of rice defense as a natural and non-harmful metabolite.

The aims of this study were to investigated the occurrence of caffeine and carbamazepine in Nakdong river basin (8 mainstreams and 2 tributaries) and the behavior of caffeine and carbamazepine under drinking water treatment processes (conventional and advanced processes). The examination results showed that caffeine was detected at all sampling sites (5.4 ∼558.5 ng/L), but carbamazepine was detected at five sampling sites (5.1∼79.4 ng/L). The highest concentration level of caffeine and carbamazepine in the mainstream and tributaries in Nakdong river were Goryeong and Jinchun-cheon, respectively. These pharmaceutical products were completely removed when they were subject to conventional plus advanced processes of drinking water treatment processes. Conventional processes of coagulation, sedimentation and sand-filtration were not effective for their removal, while advanced processes of ozonation and biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration were effective. Among these pharmaceuticals, carbamazeoine was more subject to ozonation than caffeine.

고 기능성 유용 차나무 품종육성 및 녹차의 이용성 증진 연구의 기초 자료를 제공하기 위해 녹차 함유 catechin 화합물 및 caffeine 성분을 동시에 분석할 수 있고, 재현성 및 검출 감도가 증진된 최적의 HPLC 분석 조건을 검토한 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 1. 녹차에 함유된 catechin 화합물 및 caffeine의 동시분석을 위한 최적 HPLC 분석 조건을 검토한 결과 컬럼은 YMC-pak ODS-AM 303(25 cm)컬럼을 이용하고, 검출파장은 280 nm, 컬럼온도를 30℃ , 분당유속은 1 mL, 이동상 용매로는 A용매로 0.1% 인산 - 증류수, B용매로 100% MeOH를 사용하여 농도구배 조건으로 분석하는 것이 가장 효율적 분석법으로 조사되었다. 2. 녹차에 함유된 catechin 화합물 및 caffeine을 동시에 분석할 수 있는 최적 HPLC분석조건의 재현성 검정을 실시한 결과 머무름 시간(Rt.)의 변이계수는 최대 1.23% 미만, peak area의 변이계수는 최대 5.13% 미만을 나타내어 확립된 녹차 함유 catechin 9종 화합물 및 caffeine의 HPLC 정량분석법은 재현성이 높은 분석법으로 확인되었고, 각 cafechin 화합물 및 caffeine 성분의 최소 검출한계는 최소 50ppb(0.050 ppm, 50 ng/mL)이하로 조사되어, 확립된 HPLC 분석법은 녹차의 작물학적 특성 평가용으로 활용하기에 전혀 무리가 없는 분석법으로 판단되었다.