Salomé Abarca Luis Francisco, Klinkhamer Peter G L, Choi Young Hae
Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Planta Med. 2019 Aug;85(11-12):856-868. doi: 10.1055/a-0923-8215. Epub 2019 May 28.
Historically, latex-bearing plants have been regarded as important medicinal resources in many countries due to their characteristic latex ingredients. They have also often been endowed with a social or cultural significance in religious or cult rituals or for hunting. Initial chemical studies focused on the protein or peptide content but recently the interest extended to smaller molecules. Latex has been found to contain a broad range of specialized metabolites such as terpenoids, cardenolides, alkaloids, and phenolics, which are partly responsible for their antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, cytotoxic, and insect-repellent activities. The diversity in biology and chemistry of latexes is supposedly associated to their ecological roles in interactions with exogenous factors. Latexes contain unique compounds that are different to those found in their bearing plants. Exploring the feasibility of plant latex as a new type of bioactive chemical resource, this review paper covers the chemical characterization of plant latexes, extending this to various other plant exudates. Also, the factors influencing this chemical differentiation and the production, transportation, and chemistry of the latex exudates are described, based on ecological and biochemical mechanisms. We also proposed a latex coagulation model involving 4 general conserved steps. Therefore, the inherent defensive origin of latexes is recognized as their most valuable character and encourages one to pay attention to these materials as alternative sources to discover metabolites with insecticidal or antimicrobial activity.
从历史上看，含乳胶的植物因其独特的乳胶成分，在许多国家都被视为重要的药用资源。它们在宗教或祭祀仪式中，或用于狩猎，也常常被赋予社会或文化意义。最初的化学研究集中在蛋白质或肽的含量上，但最近人们的兴趣扩展到了小分子。已发现乳胶含有多种特殊代谢产物，如萜类化合物、强心苷、生物碱和酚类化合物，这些物质部分地导致了它们的抗菌、抗真菌、驱虫、细胞毒性和驱虫活性。乳胶在生物学和化学上的多样性可能与其在与外部因素相互作用中的生态作用有关。乳胶含有与它们所附着的植物中发现的化合物不同的独特化合物。本文探讨了植物乳胶作为一种新型生物活性化学资源的可行性，涵盖了植物乳胶的化学特征，并将其扩展到各种其他植物分泌物。此外，还基于生态和生化机制描述了影响这种化学分化以及乳胶分泌物的产生、运输和化学性质的因素。我们还提出了一个涉及4个一般保守步骤的乳胶凝固模型。因此，乳胶固有的防御起源被认为是它们最有价值的特性，并促使人们关注这些材料，将其作为发现具有杀虫或抗菌活性的代谢产物的替代来源。
