Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ordu University, Cumhuriyet Yerleşkesi, 52200 Ordu, Turkey.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Erzurum Technical University, Yakutiye, 25100 Erzurum, Turkey.
Toxins (Basel). 2023 May 24;15(6):356. doi: 10.3390/toxins15060356.
Plants evolve to synthesize various natural metabolites to protect themselves against threats, such as insects, predators, microorganisms, and environmental conditions (such as temperature, pH, humidity, salt, and drought). Plant-derived toxic proteins are often secondary metabolites generated by plants. These proteins, including ribosome-inactivating proteins, lectins, protease inhibitors, α-amylase inhibitors, canatoxin-like proteins and ureases, arcelins, antimicrobial peptides, and pore-forming toxins, are found in different plant parts, such as the roots, tubers, stems, fruits, buds, and foliage. Several investigations have been conducted to explore the potential applications of these plant proteins by analyzing their toxic effects and modes of action. In biomedical applications, such as crop protection, drug development, cancer therapy, and genetic engineering, toxic plant proteins have been utilized as potentially useful instruments due to their biological activities. However, these noxious metabolites can be detrimental to human health and cause problems when consumed in high amounts. This review focuses on different plant toxic proteins, their biological activities, and their mechanisms of action. Furthermore, possible usage and removal strategies for these proteins are discussed.
植物进化合成各种天然代谢物来保护自己免受威胁，如昆虫、捕食者、微生物和环境条件（如温度、pH 值、湿度、盐度和干旱）。植物来源的有毒蛋白通常是植物产生的次生代谢物。这些蛋白质包括核糖体失活蛋白、凝集素、蛋白酶抑制剂、α-淀粉酶抑制剂、canatoxin 样蛋白和脲酶、arcelins、抗菌肽和孔形成毒素，存在于不同的植物部位，如根、块茎、茎、果实、芽和叶子。已经进行了几项研究来探索这些植物蛋白的潜在应用，通过分析它们的毒性作用和作用模式。在生物医学应用中，如作物保护、药物开发、癌症治疗和基因工程，有毒植物蛋白因其生物活性而被用作潜在有用的工具。然而，这些有害代谢物可能对人类健康有害，并在大量摄入时引起问题。本文综述了不同的植物毒性蛋白及其生物学活性和作用机制。此外，还讨论了这些蛋白质的可能用途和去除策略。
