Abstract
The cuticle is one of the most important plant barriers. It is an external and continuous lipid membrane that covers the surface of epidermal cells and whose main function is to prevent the massive loss of water. The spectroscopic characterization of the plant cuticle and its components (cutin, cutan, waxes, polysaccharides and phenolics) by infrared and Raman spectroscopies has provided significant advances in the knowledge of the functional groups present in the cuticular matrix and on their structural role, interaction and macromolecular arrangement. Additionally, these spectroscopies have been used in the study of cuticle interaction with exogenous molecules, degradation, distribution of components within the cuticle matrix, changes during growth and development and characterization of fossil plants.
Highlights
The plant cuticle is the most external and continuous membrane that covers epidermal cells of leaves, fruits, petals, and nonlignified stems (Heredia, 2003)
IR and Raman spectroscopies are non-destructive and accessible techniques which have shown important advantages in the chemical and structural analysis of plant cuticles, e.g., identification of functional groups and conformations, determination of intra- and intermolecular interactions of cuticle components with exogenous molecules, and qualitative measurements of the cutin polymerization. These spectroscopies are based on the excitation of the molecular vibrations of chemical bonds by the absorption of light or the inelastic scattering of photons (Raman spectroscopy)
We summarize the main applications of infrared and Raman spectroscopies in the characterization of the plant cuticles
Summary
The plant cuticle is the most external and continuous membrane that covers epidermal cells of leaves, fruits, petals, and nonlignified stems (Heredia, 2003). IR and Raman spectroscopies are non-destructive and accessible techniques which have shown important advantages in the chemical and structural analysis of plant cuticles, e.g., identification of functional groups and conformations, determination of intra- and intermolecular interactions of cuticle components with exogenous molecules, and qualitative measurements of the cutin polymerization. These spectroscopies are based on the excitation of the molecular vibrations of chemical bonds by the absorption of light (infrared spectroscopy) or the inelastic scattering of photons (Raman spectroscopy). Main applications of these spectroscopies, such as characterization of the plant cuticle during development and degradation, interaction with exogenous molecules, characterization of fossilized plant cuticles, and the chemical imaging of specific components, are reviewed
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