Plant Secondary Metabolites provides reliable assays to meet the challenge of fulfilling the huge demand for feed. It details plant-animal interactions and presents methodologies that may also be used to determine plant secondary metabolites in human food. In addition, the volume contains methods for analysis of some important plant secondary metabolites, which are written in a recipe-like format designed for direct practical use.

Plant secondary metabolites have been a fertile area of chemical investigation for many years, driving the development of both analytical chemistry and of new synthetic reactions and methodologies. The subject is multi-disciplinary with chemists, biochemists and plant scientists all contributing to our current understanding. In recent years there has been an upsurge in interest from other disciplines, related to the realisation that secondary metabolites are dietary components that may have a considerable impact on human health, and to the development of gene technology that permits modulation of the contents of desirable and undesirable components. Plant Secondary Metabolites: Occurrence, Structure and Role in the Human Diet addresses this wider interest by covering the main groups of natural products from a chemical and biosynthetic perspective with illustrations of how genetic engineering can be applied to manipulate levels of secondary metabolites of economic value as well as those of potential importance in diet and health. These descriptive chapters are augmented by chapters showing where these products are found in the diet, how they are metabolised and reviewing the evidence for their beneficial bioactivity.

Life has evolved as a unified system; no organism exists similar role also has been suggested for fatty acids from alone, but each is in intimate contact with other organisms cyanolipids. Nonprotein amino acids, cyanogenic glyco and its environment. Historically, it was easier for workers sides, and the non-fatty-acid portion of cyanolipids also are in various disciplines to delimit artificially their respective incorporated into primary metabolites during germination. areas of research, rather than attempt to understand the entire Secondary metabolites of these structural types are accumu system of living organisms. This was a pragmatic and neces lated in large quantities in the seeds of several plant groups sary way to develop an understanding for the various parts. where they probably fulfill an additional function as deter We are now at a point, however, where we need to investi rents to general predation. gate those things common to the parts and, specifically, those The second type of relationship involves interaction of things that unify the parts. The fundamental aspects of many plants with other organisms and with their environment. Bio of these interactions are chemical in nature. Plants constitute logical interactions must be viewed in the light of evolution an essential part of all life systems; phytochemistry provides ary change and the coadaptation, or perhaps coevolution, of a medium for linking several fields of study.

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) such as terpenes and phenolic compounds are known to have numerous ecological roles, notably in defence against herbivores, pathogens and abiotic stresses and in interactions with competitors and mutualists. This book reviews recent developments in the field to provide a synthesis of the function, ecology and evolution of PSMs, revealing our increased awareness of their integrative role in connecting natural systems. It emphasises the multiple roles of secondary metabolites in mediating the interactions between organisms and their environment at a range of scales of ecological organisation, demonstrating how genes encoding for PSM biosynthetic enzymes can have effects from the cellular scale within individual plants all the way to global environmental processes. A range of recent methodological advances, including molecular, transgenic and metabolomic techniques, are illustrated and promising directions for future studies are identified, making this a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in the field.

This is a book about experiments and results of experiments. The results described are the fruit of thirty years' labour in the field of secondary metabolism. Secondary metabolism, more than any other part of the chemistry of life, has been the special preserve of organic chemists. Investiga tion of secondary metabolism began with curiosity about the struc tures of compounds isolated from natural sources, i.e. secondary metabolites. Coeval with structure determination there has been a curiosity about the origins and mechanism of formation of secondary metabolites (or natural products as they have been called). It is the experimental outcome of this curiosity that is described here. This account is primarily intended to be an introduction to the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. I have also endeavoured, however, to make the book as comprehensive as possIble. This has meant that some of the material has had to be presented in abbrevi ated form. The abbreviated material is largely confined to particular sections of the book. The paragraphs marked with a dagger (t) can be omitted by the reader wishing to acquire a general introduction to the subject. A blend of the most significant and the most recent references is cited to provide the reader with ready access to the primary litera ture. This is clearly most necessary for the material presented in abbreviated form. Relevant reviews are also cited.

This Reference Work is devoted to plant secondary metabolites and their evolutionary adaptation to different hosts and pests. Secondary metabolites play an important biological role in plants’ defence against herbivores, abiotic stresses and pathogens, and they also attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. In this work, readers will find a comprehensive review of the phytochemical diversity, modification and adaptation of secondary metabolites, and the consequences of their co-evolution with plant parasites, pollinators, and herbivores. Chapters from expert contributors are organised into twelve sections that collate the current knowledge in intra-/inter-specific diversity in plant secondary metabolites, changes in secondary metabolites during plants’ adaptation to different environmental conditions, and co-evolution of host-parasite metabolites. Among the twelve themed parts, readers will also discover expert analysis on the genetics and chemical ecology evolution of secondary metabolites, and particular attention is also given to allelochemicals, bioactive molecules in plant defence and the evolution of sensory perception in vertebrates. This reference work will appeal to students, researchers and professionals interested in the field of plant pathology, plant breeding, biotechnology, agriculture and phytochemistry.

Covers the structurally diverse secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, including their ethnopharmacological properties, biological activity, and production strategies Secondary metabolites of plants are a treasure trove of novel compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications. Consequently, the nature of these metabolites as well as strategies for the targeted expression and/or purification is of high interest. Regarding their biological and pharmacological activity and ethnopharmacological properties, this book offers a comprehensive treatment of 100 plant species, including Abutilon, Aloe, Cannabis, Capsicum, Jasminum, Malva, Phyllanthus, Stellaria, Thymus, Vitis, Zingiber, and more. It also discusses the cell culture conditions and various strategies used for enhancing the production of targeted metabolites in plant cell cultures. Secondary Metabolites of Medicinal Plants: Ethnopharmacological Properties, Biological Activity and Production Strategies is presented in four parts. Part I provides a complete introduction to the subject. Part II looks at the ethnomedicinal and pharmacological properties, chemical structures, and culture conditions of secondary metabolites. The third part examines the many strategies of secondary metabolites production, including: biotransformation; culture conditions; feeding of precursors; genetic transformation; immobilization; and oxygenation. The last section concludes with an overview of everything learned. -Provides information on cell culture conditions and targeted extraction of secondary metabolites confirmed by relevant literature -Presents the structures of secondary metabolites of 100 plant species together with their biological and pharmacological activity -Discusses plant species regarding their distribution, habitat, and ethnopharmacalogical properties -Presents strategies of secondary metabolites production, such as organ culture, pH, elicitation, hairy root cultures, light, and mutagenesis Secondary Metabolites of Medicinal Plants is an important book for students, professionals, and biotechnologists interested in the biological and pharmacological activity and ethnopharmacological properties of plants.

This three-volume set is a desirable reference for a wide range of specialists who study secondary fungal metabolites ranging from pharmaceutical house researchers, agricultural researchers, those involved in food and feed control regulation, and veterinary researchers. It discusses in depth the molecular formula of, the molecular weights of, and fungal/plant source indexes of secondary fungal metabolites.

This book consists of an introductory overview of secondary metabolites, which are classified into four main sections: microbial secondary metabolites, plant secondary metabolites, secondary metabolites through tissue culture technique, and regulation of secondary metabolite production. This book provides a comprehensive account on the secondary metabolites of microorganisms, plants, and the production of secondary metabolites through biotechnological approach like the plant tissue culture method. The regulatory mechanisms of secondary metabolite production in plants and the pharmaceutical and other applications of various secondary metabolites are also highlighted. This book is considered as necessary reading for microbiologists, biotechnologists, biochemists, pharmacologists, and botanists who are doing research in secondary metabolites. It should also be useful to MSc students, MPhil and PhD scholars, scientists, and faculty members of various science disciplines.

Microbiologists and soil scientists will find this study compelling reading. It focuses on the role of bacterial, fungal and plant secondary metabolites in soil ecosystems. Our understanding of the biological function of secondary metabolites is surprisingly limited, considering our knowledge of their structural diversity and pharmaceutical activity. This book reviews functional aspects of secondary metabolite production, with a focus on interactions among soil organisms.