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A Putative Curcumin Biosynthetic Pathway in Musa textilis Née (Abaca)

1

  1. 1Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite, PHILIPPINES.

CORRESPONDENCE

Lloyd Ongpauco Balinado

Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite, PHILIPPINES.

lloyd.balinado@cvsu.edu.ph

Received: 21-01-2026; Revised: 13-02-2026; Accepted: 09-04-2026.

Volume 15, Issue 1 · pp. 227-230 · 2026 · DOI: 10.5530/ajbls.20260121

ABSTRACT

Curcumin is a diarylheptanoid compound extensively documented in Curcuma species (Zingiberaceae) and valued for its diverse pharmacological properties. To date, curcumin has not been reported as a naturally occurring metabolite in members of the genus Musa (Musaceae). In this study, we investigated the potential for curcumin biosynthesis in Musa textilis (abaca) through integrative analysis of available genomic and transcriptomic datasets. Using KEGG-based pathway reconstruction, we identified putative homologs of key enzymes involved in diarylheptanoid biosynthesis, including Diketide-CoA Synthase (DCS) and Curcumin Synthase (CURS), in the genomes of M. textilis var. Abuab and M. balbisiana. Transcriptomic data further revealed the expression of diarylheptanoid-associated genes across multiple M. textilis genotypes. While direct chemical detection of curcumin was not performed, these findings provide molecular evidence suggesting the presence of a putative curcumin biosynthetic pathway in M. textilis. This work expands current understanding of secondary metabolism in abaca and highlights the need for targeted metabolomic validation.

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    Balinado, L. O. (2026). A Putative Curcumin Biosynthetic Pathway in Musa textilis Née (Abaca). Asian Journal of Biological and Life Sciences, 15(1), 227-230. https://doi.org/10.5530/ajbls.20260121

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    © 2026 Author(s)

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. CC BY 4.0