School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
Department of Basic Science, Zagazig Higher Institute of Engineering and Technology, 44519 Zagazig, Egypt.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 7;24(4):3266. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043266.
Natural products are compounds produced by living organisms and can be divided into two main categories: primary (PMs) and secondary metabolites (SMs). Plant PMs are crucial for plant growth and reproduction since they are directly involved in living cell processes, whereas plant SMs are organic substances directly involved in plant defense and resistance. SMs are divided into three main groups: terpenoids, phenolics and nitrogen-containing compounds. The SMs contain a variety of biological capabilities that can be used as flavoring agents, food additives, plant-disease control, strengthen plant defenses against herbivores and, additionally, it can help plant cells to be better adapted to the physiological stress response. The current review is mainly focusing on certain key elements related to the significance, biosynthesis, classification, biochemical characterization and medical/pharmaceutical uses of the major categories of plant SMs. In addition, the usefulness of SMs in controlling plant diseases, boosting plant resistance and as potential natural, safe, eco-friendly substitutes for chemosynthetic pesticides were also reported in this review.
天然产物是由生物体产生的化合物，可分为两类：初级代谢产物（PMs）和次生代谢产物（SMs）。植物 PMs 对植物的生长和繁殖至关重要，因为它们直接参与活细胞的过程，而植物 SMs 是直接参与植物防御和抗性的有机物质。SMs 分为三大类：萜类、酚类和含氮化合物。SMs 含有多种生物功能，可用作香料、食品添加剂、植物病虫害防治、增强植物对草食动物的防御能力，此外，还可以帮助植物细胞更好地适应生理应激反应。本综述主要集中在与植物 SMs 的主要类别的重要性、生物合成、分类、生化特性和医学/药物用途相关的某些关键因素。此外，还报告了 SMs 在控制植物病害、提高植物抗性以及作为潜在的天然、安全、环保的化学合成农药替代品方面的用途。
