College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource & Eco-environmental Sciences, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518071, China; Shenzhen Environmental Monitoring Center, Shenzhen, 518049, Guangdong, China.
College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, China.
Toxicon. 2021 Apr 15;193:21-27. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.01.009. Epub 2021 Jan 26.
Microbial pathogens attack every plant tissue, including leaves, roots, shoots, and flowers during all growth stages. Thus, they cause several diseases resulting in a plant's failure or loss of the whole crop in severe cases. To combat the pathogens attack, plants produce some biologically active toxic compounds known as saponins. The saponins are secondary metabolic compounds produced in healthy plants with potential anti-pathogenic activity and serve as potential chemical barriers against pathogens. Saponins are classified into two major groups the steroidal and terpenoid saponins. Here, we reported the significance of saponin toxins in the war against insect pests, fungal, and bacterial pathogens. Saponins are present in both cultivated (chilies, spinach, soybean, quinoa, onion, oat, tea, etc.) and wild plant species. As they are natural toxic constituents of plant defense, breeders and plant researchers aiming to boost plant imm unity should focus on transferring these compounds in cash crops.
微生物病原体在植物的所有生长阶段都会攻击各个组织，包括叶片、根系、茎和花朵。因此，它们会导致多种疾病，在严重情况下，会导致植物的失败或整个作物的损失。为了抵御病原体的攻击，植物会产生一些具有生物活性的有毒化合物，称为皂苷。皂苷是在健康植物中产生的次生代谢化合物，具有潜在的抗病原活性，是抵御病原体的潜在化学屏障。皂苷分为甾体皂苷和三萜皂苷两大类。在这里，我们报告了皂苷毒素在防治虫害、真菌和细菌病原体方面的重要性。皂苷存在于栽培植物（辣椒、菠菜、大豆、藜麦、洋葱、燕麦、茶等）和野生植物物种中。由于它们是植物防御的天然有毒成分，因此，育种者和植物研究人员如果要提高植物免疫力，应专注于在经济作物中转移这些化合物。
