Abstract
Plant secondary metabolites (SMs) are not only a useful array of natural products but also an important part of plant defense system against pathogenic attacks and environmental stresses. With remarkable biological activities, plant SMs are increasingly used as medicine ingredients and food additives for therapeutic, aromatic and culinary purposes. Various genetic, ontogenic, morphogenetic and environmental factors can influence the biosynthesis and accumulation of SMs. According to the literature reports, for example, SMs accumulation is strongly dependent on a variety of environmental factors such as light, temperature, soil water, soil fertility and salinity, and for most plants, a change in an individual factor may alter the content of SMs even if other factors remain constant. Here, we review with emphasis how each of single factors to affect the accumulation of plant secondary metabolites, and conduct a comparative analysis of relevant natural products in the stressed and unstressed plants. Expectantly, this documentary review will outline a general picture of environmental factors responsible for fluctuation in plant SMs, provide a practical way to obtain consistent quality and high quantity of bioactive compounds in vegetation, and present some suggestions for future research and development.
Highlights
As distinguished from primary metabolism and first attributed to Kossel [1], plant secondary metabolism is defined as a term for pathway and small molecule products of metabolism that are non-essential for the survival of the organism
Regvar et al [57] comparatively evaluated the effect of UV irradiation on the concentration of rutin, catechin and quercetin in Fagopyrum esculentum and F. tataricum, and found a specific increase of quercetin concentration in F. esculentum when exposed to the enhanced UV irradiation
Based on the relevant literature reports and data, the above review focuses on the response of important plant secondary metabolites such as phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids and alkaloids produced from various biochemical processes to crucial environmental stresses, including light irradiation, temperature, soil water, soil fertility and salinity, etc
Summary
As distinguished from primary metabolism and first attributed to Kossel [1], plant secondary metabolism is defined as a term for pathway and small molecule products of metabolism that are non-essential for the survival of the organism. SMs are the molecules to be dispensable for plant metabolism and growth, whereas the wide variety and high diversity of secondary products are key components for plants to interact with the environment in the adaptation to both biotic and abiotic stress conditions [2,3]. The primary purpose of this literature commentary is to enhance our understanding of plant SM adaptability in response to environmental stresses, and optimize cultivation techniques or ambient conditions to maximize yield of beneficial plant SM natural products in an efficient and sustainable manner
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