
Production of Secondary Metabolites:
- 1. Selection of Cell Lines for High Yield of Secondary Metabolites: The very purpose of tissue culture is to produce high amounts of secondary metabolites. ...
- 2. Large Scale (Mass) Cultivation of Plant Cells: In order to achieve industrial production of the desired metabolite, large scale cultivation of plant cells is required. ...
What is the role of secondary metabolites in plant growth?
In the growth condition(s) of plants, numerous secondary metabolites (SMs) are produced by them to serve variety of cellular functions essential for physiological processes, and recent increasing evidences have implicated stress and defense response signaling in their production.
What are secondary metabolites and where are they found?
Secondary metabolites are found expressed in various combinations in different parts of the plant (leaves, roots, shoots, bark), at different stages of growth (seedling, seed, plantlet, mature tree), under different environmental pressures (invasive microbes, herbivores), in numerous combinations of ways by different classes of plants.
Why secondary metabolites are not being produced in plant cultures?
The production of secondary metabolites in plant cultures is generally low and does not meet the commercial demands. There are continuous efforts to understand the mechanism of product formation at the molecular level, and exploit for increased production.
Are lipids primary or secondary plant metabolites?
Although lipids are considered primary plant metabolites, recent studies revealed pharmacological activities to members of this class of phytochemicals. 6.1. Fixed oils Fixed oils constitute of high molecular aliphatic long-chain fatty acids, such as palmitic, stearic and oleic acids, esterified with glycerol.

Where are plant secondary metabolites produced?
Secondary metabolites are produced by plants in response to pathogen attacks, elicitors and have wide commercial and industrial applications [109].
What is a secondary metabolite and why do plants produce them?
Secondary metabolites are substances manufactured by plants that make them competitive in their own environment. These small molecules exert a wide range of effects on the plant itself and on other living organisms.
How do you synthesis secondary metabolites?
Synthesis of secondary metabolites can be further enhanced by introducing elicitors into a tissue plant culture, such as jasmonic acid, UV-B or ozone. These compounds induce stress onto a plant leading to increased production of secondary metabolites.
Which is the first source for production of secondary metabolites?
Secondary metabolites are considered to be the end products of primary metabolites because they are derived by the pathways in which the primary metabolites involve. For eg., antibiotics, toxins, pheromones, enzyme inhibitors, etc. Streptomycetes and related actinomycetes are the sources of novel secondary metabolites.
What are secondary metabolites in plants give examples?
Types of secondary metabolites in plantsClassTypeExamplesFlavonoids and TanninsWithout nitrogenLuteolin, tannic acidPhenylpropanoids, lignins, coumarins and lignansWithout nitrogenResveratrolPolyacetylenes, fatty acids and waxesWithout nitrogenPolyketidesWithout nitrogen10 more rows
How secondary metabolites are derived from primary metabolites?
Secondary metabolites are typically organic compounds produced through the modification of primary metabolite synthases. Secondary metabolites do not play a role in growth, development, and reproduction like primary metabolites do, and are typically formed during the end or near the stationary phase of growth.
What are the four classes of secondary metabolites in plants?
Plant secondary metabolites can be classified into four major classes: terpenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids and sulphur-containing compounds.
Why do fungi produce secondary metabolites?
Fungi use secondary metabolites to defend against predators and competitors, for chemical communication, or in the case of pathogenic fungi, to manipulate their animal and plant hosts (Brakhage et al., 2013). Secondary metabolism is therefore likely to be shaped to a large extent by interactions with other organisms.
Why are secondary metabolites produced?
Secondary metabolites are compounds that are not required for the growth or reproduction of an organism but are produced to confer a selective advantage to the organism. For example, they may inhibit the growth of organisms with which they compete and, as such, they often inhibit biologically important processes.
What is the function of secondary metabolites?
Secondary metabolites serve: (i) as competitive weapons used against other bacteria, fungi, amoebae, plants, insects, and large animals; (ii) as metal transporting agents; (iii) as agents of symbiosis between microbes and plants, nematodes, insects, and higher animals; (iv) as sexual hormones; and (v) as ...
What are the benefits of secondary metabolites in plants?
Secondary metabolites aid in growth, development, and immune function of plants, but are not required for survival. They generally serve roles in physiological processes that improve plant tolerance to environmental stresses.
What are secondary metabolites answer?
Solution : 1) The materials which do not require for normal growth and development are called secondary metabolites. These are the by-products of plants. eg: Alkaloids, Tannins, Resins, Gums and Latex etc. Though plants produce these chemicals for their own use man found the usage of these chemicals for own benefits.
What is the production of secondary metabolites linked to?
Based on the existing evidence, it is believed that the production of some secondary metabolites is linked to the induction of morphological differentiation.
What are secondary metabolites?
Secondary Metabolites: The chemical compounds produced by plants are collectively referred to as phytochemicals. Biotechnologists have special interest in plant tissue culture for the large scale production of commercially important compounds.
What are precursors in a culture?
The substrate molecules that are incorporated into the secondary metabolites are referred to as precursors. In general, addition of precursors to the medium enhances product formation, although they usually inhibit the growth of the culture e.g., alkaloid synthesis in Datura cultures in increased while growth is inhibited by the addition of ornithine, phenylalanine, tyrosine and sodium phenyl pyruvate; precursors tryptamine and secologanin increase ajmalicine production in C. roseus cultures.
What is the nitrogen source in plant culture?
The standard culture media usually contain a mixture of nitrate and ammonia as nitrogen source. Majority of plant cells can tolerate high levels of ammonia. The cultured cells utilize nitrogen for the biosynthesis of amino acids, proteins (including enzymes) and nucleic acids. The nitrogen containing primary metabolites directly influence the secondary metabolites.
How big are plant cells?
In order to achieve industrial production of the desired metabolite, large scale cultivation of plant cells is required. Plant cells (20-150 µm in diameter) are generally 10-100 times larger than bacterial or fungal cell. When cultured, plant cells exhibit changes in volumes and thus variable shapes and sizes.
Why are plant cultures useful?
6. Plant cultures are particularly useful in case of plants which are difficult or expensive to be grown in the fields. 7. Mutant cell lines can be developed for the production of novel compounds of commercial importance, which are not normally found in plants. 8.
What polymers are used for the separation of phenolic compounds?
Certain polymers (e.g., dextran and polyethylene glycol for the separation of phenolic compounds) are used for the separation of phases. Hairy Root Culture: Hairy root cultures are used for the production of root-associated metabolites. In general, these cultures have high growth rate and genetic stability.
How do plants produce metabolites?
Plants produce a host of secondary metabolites with a wide range of biological activities, including potential toxicity to eukaryotic cells. Plants generally manage these compounds by transport to the apoplast or specific organelles such as the vacuole, or other self-tolerance mechanisms.
Is transporter isolated?
In particular, many transporters have been isolated and their physiological functions have been proposed. This review describes recent progress in studies of transport and self-tolerance and provides an updated inventory of transporters according to their substrates.
When are secondary metabolites synthesized?
Secondary metabolites are synthesized during the end or near the stationary phase of growth and are not involved in cell growth, development, or reproduction (Crueger and Crueger, 1990; Jit and Garg, 2015 ).
Which organisms produce the most secondary metabolites?
Comparatively, a few microbial organisms produce the majority of secondary metabolites and a single microbial type has the capacity to produce very different metabolites, for example, Streptomyces griseus and Bacillus subtilis each can produce more than 50 different secondary metabolites.
What are the effects of SMs on plants?
Plant SMs are important compounds that add color, taste, and odor to plants and also mediate plant responses to adverse environmental conditions ( Verma and Shukla, 2015 ). A number of factors cause significant perturbations in the production of SM in plants. The endogenous levels of different SMs vary among different plant species and also within the same plant species ( Barton, 2007 ). A number of cellular and biochemical factors influence the storage and transportation of SM. Developmental factors influence the initiation and subsequent differentiation of particular cellular structures involved in the biosynthesis and storage of SM ( Broun et al., 2006 ). Furthermore, the endogenous levels of SM are also influenced by a number of environmental stresses such as nutrient deficiencies, wounding, metal ions, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, light, circadian rhythm, seasonality, salinity, drought, and temperature ( Gouvea et al., 2012; Verma and Shukla, 2015 ). Apart from this, the endogenous concentration of SM is associated with the metabolic pathway of the particular SM and growth conditions ( Akula and Ravishankar, 2011 ). The concentration of SM is also affected by biotic factors (pathogen attack) and thereby mediates plant defense mechanism. For instance, there exists a significant variation in the levels of phenolics in plants in response to environmental stresses such as light intensity and nutrient availability ( Verma and Shukla, 2015 ).
What is the process of producing metabolites?
The network of metabolites, working with enzyme reactions during the entire process of metabolism, is called the metabolome [10]. The metabolome involves/implicates all the series of combinations of cascading reactions between enzymes and substrates in the steps of metabolism, and ending in the production of the primary and secondary metabolites.
What is the idiophase of fermentation?
Secondary metabolites usually accumulate during the later stage of fermentation, known as the idiophase, which follows the active growth phase called the trophophase. Compounds produced in the idiophase have no direct relationship to the synthesis of cell material and normal growth of the microorganisms.
Why are secondary metabolites important?
These plant secondary metabolites are important candidates for human nutrition. A number of plant secondary metabolites possess antioxidant properties that act as the first line of defense against oxidative damage induced by different environmental (including high temperature) constraints.
What are the antitumor agents from plants that have been very useful?
Antitumor agents from plants that have been very useful are taxol and camptothecin. If modern medicine is to continue in its present form, novel families of antibiotics and other secondary metabolites must continue to be discovered and enter the marketplace at regular intervals. View chapter Purchase book.
What are secondary metabolites?
Secondary metabolites (SM) are compounds that are not necessary for a cell (organism) to live, but play a role in the interaction of the cell (organism) with its environment. These compounds are often involved in plants protection against biotic or abiotic stresses. Secondary metabolites are from different metabolites families that can be highly inducible in response to stresses. Primary metabolites perform essential metabolic roles by participating in nutrition and reproduction. A few SMs are used as especially chemical such as drugs, flavours, fragrances, insecticides, and dyes and thus have a great economic value. These new technologies will serve to extend and enhance the continued usefulness of the higher plants as renewal sources of chemicals, especially medicinal compounds. A continuation and intensification efforts in this field is expected to lead to successful biotechnological production of specific, valuable and as yet unknown plant chemicals. © 2015 Current Trends in Biotechnology and Pharmacy. All rights reserved.
What are the two types of metabolites in plants?
Plants produce two kinds of natural products commonly termed “primary metabolites”, which are indispensable for plant growth and “secondary metabolites” that were previously considered as “waste products” without any physiological function for the plant. However, recent studies highlight their usefulness in plant defense against pathogens and insects herbivores and their role in beneficial insects attraction such us pollinators and auxiliaries. The secondary metabolites are classified into three different groups according to their biosynthetic origin: terpenoids, alkaloids and phenylpropanoids which each one was characterized with a specific mode of action against specific pest insects. Moreover, the natural products concentration depends largely in plant species. Recently, plant products are exploited for their benefit potential in crop protection thanks to their low toxicity to non-target organisms such as humans and auxiliaries, their effectiveness and environmental respect. The integration of plant products in pest management strategies would enhance sustainable agriculture and prevent loss in terms of both quality and quantity. This chapter provides an overview about the diversity of secondary metabolites in Mediterranean plants and their multifarious biological functions in crops protection against pests.
What are SMs in plants?
Plants genetically are able to produce secondary metabolites (SM). The aim of SM production varies depending on environmental cues based on plant genetic pool that help them live and survive. They are multifunctional molecules like regulators, detoxifiers, transporters, chaperons, proteases, etc. SMs make plants medicinal and give them pharmaceutical properties. As all plants generate SMs, they all are considered medicinal. Environmental cues and stresses stimulate plants which subsequently adjust their SM content that genetically produce in order to tolerate adverse conditions. Stress tolerance is under more consideration in plant breeding due to climate change effects on plant production. Hence, stresses are tools that can improve plant tolerance to harmful situations resulting in to a better quantity and quality of SM that benefit plants as producers and human/animals as consumers. Plants studied under stress and wild plants are good models for plant breeding programs as they show how plants tolerate stresses, which metabolites are produced more/less in response to stress and which condition can affect plants to positively produce SMs. Cacao and coffee are two plant models having known SMs with pharmaceutical/medicinal/nutritional values that make them tolerant to adverse conditions and positively produced upon plant exposure to stress.
How do nutrients affect plant growth?
Nutrient content in the soil is considered one of the leading complications influencing plant growth and development. Plants sense the readily available nutrients in soil and uptake them to ensure growth and development. Based on the required amounts of nutritional elements, plant nutrients are classified into primary macronutrients, secondary macronutrients, and micronutrients. The nutrients are absorbed by roots and transported into various parts of the plant body by nutrient-specific transporters. On the other hand, plants produce various secondary metabolites that are not directly involved in growth and development but are mainly used for plant defense against various biotic and abiotic stressors. Recently, plant secondary metabolites have been reported to be affected by soil nutrients, which can influence soil nutrient cycling and increase the sustainability of agroecosystems. In this chapter, we focus on macronutrients while highlighting nutrient sensing, plant–soil interaction in terms of macronutrient uptake, and regulation of macronutrients in plant tissues (processes which include various factors that control nutrient homeostasis). In particular, we emphasize the significant contribution of plant secondary metabolites and their responses to soil fertility.
What are metabolites?
metabolites are broad range of compounds from. different metabolite families that can be highly. inducible in stress conditions. Carotenoids and. flavonoids are also involved in cell pigmentation. in flower and seed, which attract pollinators and. seed dispersers. Therefore, they are also.
How much of higher plant species are used medicinally?
It has been estimated that 14-. 28% of higher plant species are used medicinally. and that 74% of pharmacologically active plant. derived components were discovered after. following up on ethno-medicinal use of the plants. (22). Secondary metabolites are a metabolic.
What are products in biology?
products refer to the compounds of nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and lipids and are. related to structure, physiology and genetics, which imply their crucial role in plant. development. In contrast, secondary metabolites. usually take place as minor compounds in low. concentrations.
What are the primary and secondary metabolites of plants?
On the other hand, secondary plant metabolites are products of subsidiary pathways as the shikimic acid pathway.
What is secondary metabolite?
Secondary plant metabolites are numerous chemical compounds produced by the plant cell through metabolic pathways derived from the primary metabolic pathways. The concept of secondary metabolite was first defined by Albrecht Kossel, Nobel Prize winner for physiology or medicine in 1910 [ 2 ].
What are phenolics in plants?
Phenolics probably constitute the largest group of plant secondary metabolites. They share the presence of one or more phenol groups ( Figure 1) as a common characteristic and range from simple structures with one aromatic ring to highly complex polymeric substances. They are widespread in plants where they contribute significantly to the color, taste and flavor of many herbs, foods and drinks. Some phenolics are valued pharmacologically for their anti-inflammatory activities such as quercetin or antihepatotoxic properties such as silybin. Others exert phytoestrogenic activity as genistein and daidzein, while others are insecticidal as naringenin [ 5 ]. Many of the phenolic molecules are also effective antioxidants and free radical scavengers, especially flavonoids. Phenolics can be classified according to their structure or biosynthetic origin. According to their structures, phenolics can be classified into:
What is the role of metabolites in plants?
Modern chemistry has described the role of primary plant metabolites in basic life functions such as cell division and growth, respiration, storage and reproduction.
What are the two main categories of phytochemicals?
Generally, the phytochemical constituents of plants fall into two categories based on their role in basic metabolic processes, namely primary and secondary metabolites.
Where are Xanthones found?
More complex are the furanochromones, the active constituents of the fruits of Ammi visnaga. Xanthones are found mainly in the Gentianaceae and Guttiferae, otherwise scattered sporadically throughout the plant kingdom as in the Moraceae and Polygalaceae. Polygala nyikensis is used by the highlanders of Malawi and bordering countries to treat various skin problems of fungal origin. The root of the plant was recently shown to exert its antifungal activity owing to the presence of xanthones [ 23 ].
What are secondary metabolites?
Secondary metabolites, also called specialised metabolites, toxins, secondary products, or natural products, are organic compounds produced by bacteria, fungi, or plants which are not directly involved in the normal growth, development, or reproduction of the organism. Instead, they generally mediate ecological interactions, ...
Why do bacteria produce secondary metabolites?
Bacterial production of secondary metabolites starts in the stationary phase as a consequence of lack of nutrients or in response to environmental stress. Secondary metabolite synthesis in bacteria is not essential for their growth, however, they allow them to better interact with their ecological niche.
How to reduce secondary metabolites in food?
Selective breeding was used as one of the first biotechnological techniques used to reduce the unwanted secondary metabolites in food, such as naringin causing bitterness in grapefruit. In some cases increasing the content of secondary metabolites in a plant is the desired outcome. Traditionally this was done using in-vitro plant tissue culture techniques which allow for: control of growth conditions, mitigate seasonality of plants or protect them from parasites and harmful-microbes. Synthesis of secondary metabolites can be further enhanced by introducing elicitors into a tissue plant culture, such as jasmonic acid, UV-B or ozone. These compounds induce stress onto a plant leading to increased production of secondary metabolites.
What are the three main classes of secondary metabolites?
The three main classes of fungal secondary metabolites are: polyketides, nonribosomal peptides and terpenes. Although fungal secondary metabolites are not required for growth they play an essential role in survival of fungi in their ecological niche. The most known fungal secondary metabolite is penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Later in 1945, Fleming, alongside Ernst Chain and Howard Florey, received a Nobel Prize for its discovery which was pivotal in reducing the number of deaths in World War II by over 100,000.
What are the two main groups of metabolites?
Plants are capable of producing and synthesizing diverse groups of organic compounds and are divided into two major groups: primary and secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are metabolic intermediates or products which are not essential to growth and life of the producing plants but rather required for interaction of plants with their environment and produced in response to stress. Their antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral properties protect the plant from pathogens. Some secondary metabolites such as phenylpropanoids protect plants from UV damage. The biological effects of plant secondary metabolites on humans have been known since ancient times. The herb Artemisia annua which contains Artemisinin, has been widely used in Chinese traditional medicine more than two thousand years ago. Plant secondary metabolites are classified by their chemical structure and can be divided into four major classes: terpenes, phenylpropanoids (i.e. phenolics ), polyketides, and alkaloids.
Is secondary metabolite confined to a specific lineage or species?
Usually, secondary metabolites are confined to a specific lineage or even species, though there is considerable evidence that horizontal transfer across species or genera of entire pathways plays an important role in bacterial (and, likely, fungal) evolution.
Who coined the term "secondary metabolite"?
The term secondary metabolite was first coined by Albrecht Kossel, a 1910 Nobel Prize laureate for medicine and physiology in 1910. 30 years later a Polish botanist Friedrich Czapek described secondary metabolites as end products of nitrogen metabolism.
