Wu Wenyuan, Wu Huan, Liang Rentao, Huang Shiping, Meng Luxiao, Zhang Miao, Xie Fengfeng, Zhu Hua
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Zhuang and Yao Ethnic Medicine, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China.
The Development and Industrialization of Zhuang and Yao Ethnic Medicinal Materials of Guangxi Universities Engineering Research Center, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Aug 4;16:1644472. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1644472. eCollection 2025.
Secondary metabolites are low-molecular-weight organic compounds produced by plants under specific conditions. While they are not directly involved in fundamental growth and developmental processes, they play crucial roles in plant defense, protection, and regulation. These compounds mainly include phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and others. Light, as a key environmental factor regulating the synthesis of plant secondary metabolites, influences their production and accumulation through multidimensional regulatory mechanisms. Different light qualities activate or suppress specific metabolic pathways via signal transduction networks mediated by specialized photoreceptors. Light intensity dynamically modulates secondary metabolite accumulation by affecting photosynthetic efficiency, while photoperiod coordinates metabolic rhythms through circadian clock genes. These light responsive mechanisms constitute a chemical defense strategy that enables plants to adapt to their environment, while also providing critical targets for the directed regulation of medicinal components and functional nutrients. This study provides a review of recent research on the effects of light on plant secondary metabolites, aiming to deepen the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying light-regulated secondary metabolism. The findings may offer an insight for enhancing bioactive compounds in medicinal plants and developing functional agricultural products.
次生代谢产物是植物在特定条件下产生的低分子量有机化合物。虽然它们不直接参与基本的生长和发育过程，但在植物防御、保护和调节中发挥着关键作用。这些化合物主要包括酚类、萜类、生物碱、黄酮类等。光作为调节植物次生代谢产物合成的关键环境因子，通过多维调节机制影响其产生和积累。不同的光质通过由专门的光感受器介导的信号转导网络激活或抑制特定的代谢途径。光强通过影响光合效率动态调节次生代谢产物的积累，而光周期则通过生物钟基因协调代谢节律。这些光响应机制构成了一种化学防御策略，使植物能够适应环境，同时也为药用成分和功能营养物质的定向调控提供了关键靶点。本研究综述了近年来关于光对植物次生代谢产物影响的研究，旨在加深对光调节次生代谢的分子机制的理解。这些发现可能为提高药用植物中的生物活性化合物和开发功能性农产品提供思路。
