Practical applications of jasmonates in the biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants

Abstract

Secondary metabolites of plant origin are the potential bioactive compounds, which are extensively exploited in pharmacological industry because of their anticancer, antidiabetic, antidepressant, antiangiogenic, antiinflammatory, antihelminth, antimalarial, antibacterial, antiviral, antituberculosis and antioxidant attributes. Besides their utility in pharmaceuticals, they are also used as nutraceuticals and agrochemicals. They also act as pollination facilitators and herbivore repellents. Therefore, various strategies such as plant tissue culture, biotechnological approaches, efficient bioreactors, and use of different biotic and abiotic elicitors have been explored to enhance their production. Among the abiotic elicitors are the phytohormones including jasmonate analogues; jasmonic acid (JA), methyl jasmonates (MeJA) and jasmonoyl isoleucine (JA-Il). Jasmonates exert a profound influence on diverse physiological responses in plants and also confer resistance against various biotic and abiotic stresses. They are also known to affect the secondary metabolite production in a large number of plant species. These secondary metabolites include terpenes, phenolics, essential oils and alkaloids. All the related studies are presented here to assess the role of jasmonates in the accumulation of secondary metabolite production in plants, both under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Application of JA is an efficient strategy that elicits the secondary metabolite production in plants, which is the primary focus of this review. Additionally, a brief overview of the underlying mechanism depicting the biosynthesis of these important bioactive compounds is also presented.