Shikonin and alkannin acetylation activities in desalted cell-free extracts of cultured L. erythrorhizon cells, as analyzed by chiral HPLC. A, Reaction scheme for acetylation. B, HPLC chromatograms of the acetylation products. Labeled compounds: 1, shikonin; 2, alkannin; 3, acetylalkannin; and 4, acetylshikonin.