1000/1000
Hot
Most Recent
Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are vital for human health and constitute the skeletal framework of many pharmaceutical drugs. Indeed, more than 25% of the existing drugs belong to PSMs. One of the continuing challenges for drug discovery and pharmaceutical industries is gaining access to natural products, including medicinal plants. This bottleneck is heightened for endangered species prohibited for large sample collection, even if they show biological hits. While cultivating the pharmaceutically interesting plant species may be a solution, it is not always possible to grow the organism outside its natural habitat. Plants affected by abiotic stress present a potential alternative source for drug discovery. In order to overcome abiotic environmental stressors, plants may mount a defense response by producing a diversity of PSMs to avoid cells and tissue damage. Plants either synthesize new chemicals or increase the concentration (in most instances) of existing chemicals, including the prominent bioactive lead compounds morphine, camptothecin, catharanthine, epicatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), quercetin, resveratrol, and kaempferol. Most PSMs produced under various abiotic stress conditions are plant defense chemicals and are functionally anti-inflammatory and antioxidative. The major PSM groups are terpenoids, followed by alkaloids and phenolic compounds.
Stress Condition(s) | Plant Species (Family) | PSMs Produced | Effects on PSMs Concentration | Compound Class | Bioactive Compounds | Reported Pharmacological Properties |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cold stress | Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae) [39] | vindoline | Decrease | Alkaloids | vindoline | Antidiabetic [35] |
Cold stress | Glycine max (Fabaceae) [40] | genistein, daidzein | Increase | Phenolics | genistein, daidzein | Antiproliferative [41][42] |
Cold stress | Solanum lycopersicon (Solanaceae) [43][44] | (Z)-3-hexenol and (E)-2-hexenal (dominant); 1-hexanol and 1,4-hexadienal (smaller quantities) | Increase | Fatty Acyls | (E)-2-hexenal | Antibacterial [45] |
Cold stress | β-phellandrene, (E)-β-ocimene | Increase | Terpenoids | NA | NA | |
Cold stress | δ-elemene, α-humulene and β-caryophyllene (dominant); in severe cold: β-elemene is produced. | Increase | Terpenoids | δ-elemene, α-humulene and β-caryophyllene | Antiproliferative [46]; anticancer [47]; anti-inflammatory [48] | |
Cold stress | Zea mays (Poaceae) [49] | pelargonidin | Increase | Phenolics | pelargonidin | Antithrombotic [50] |
Cold stress | Fagopyrum tartaricum (Polygonaceae) [51] | anthocyanins (e.g.,3-O-galactosides) and anthocyanidins (e.g., malvidin) | Increase | Phenolics | anthocyanins | Antioxidant [52] |
Cold stress | Withania somnifera (Solanaceae) [53] | withanolide A, withaferin A | Increase | Terpenoids | withanolide A; withferin A | Neuroprotective [54]; anticancer [55] |
Cold stress | Camellia sinensis (Theaceae) [56] | nerolidol glucoside | Increase | Terpenoids | NA | NA |
Drought | Amaranthus tricolor (Amaranthaceae) [57] | hydroxybenzoic acids (gallic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, salicylic acid, ellagic acid), hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, m-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, trans-cinnamic acid), flavonoids (iso-quercetin, hyperoside, rutin). | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | p-hydroxybenzoic acid | Antisickling activity [58] |
Drought | Camellia sinensis (Theaceae) [59] | Epicatechins | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | epicatechins | Antioxidant [60] |
Drought | Camptotheca acuminata (Nyssaceae) [61] | camptothecin | Increase | Alkaloids | camptothecin | Antitumour [62] |
Drought (PEG-induced) | Catharanthus roseus (Apocyanaceae) [63] | vinblastine | Increase | Alkaloids | vinblastine | Anticancer [64] |
Drought | Cistus clusii (Cistaceae) [65] | epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, and ascorbic acid. | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonols) | epigallocatechin gallate | Anticancer [66]; antibacterial [67] |
Drought | Crataegus laevigata, C. monogyna (Rosaceae) [68] | chlorogenic acid, catechin, (−)-epicatechin | Increase | Phenolics | chlorogenic acid, (−)-epicatechin | Antioxidant [69][70] |
Drought | Glycine max (Fabaceae) [71] | trigonelline | Increase | Alkaloids | trigonelline | Antidiabetic [72] |
Drought | Hypericum brasiliense (Hypericaceae) [73] | isouliginosin B, rutin, 1,5-dihydroxyxanthone | Increase | Phenolics | isouliginosin B, rutin, | Antinociceptive [74]; Anticancer [75] |
betulinic acid | Terpenoids | betulinic acid | Anticancer [76] | |||
Drought | Lupinus angustifolius (Fabaceae) [77] | chinolizidin | Increase | Alkaloids | NA | NA |
Drought | Papaver somniferum (Papaveraceae) [78] | morphine, codeine | Increase | Alkaloids | morphine, codeine | Analgesic [79][80] |
Drought | Pinus sylvestris (Pinaceae) [81] | abietic acid | Increase | Terpenoids | abietic acid | Antiallergic [82]; anti-inflammatory [83] |
Drought | Salvia miltiorrhiza (Lamiaceae) [29] | tanshinones, cryptotanshinone | Increase | Terpenoids | cryptotanshinone | Anticancer [84]. |
Drought | S. miltiorrhiza [29] | rosmarinic acid | Decrease | Phenolics | rosmarinic acid | Antioxidant [85] |
salvianolic acid | Increase | salvianolic acids | Antioxidant [86] | |||
Drought | Scrophularia ningpoensis (Scrophulariaceae) [87] | catalpol, harpagide, aucubin, harpagoside | Increase | Glycosides | catalpol, aucubin | Hepatoprotective [88]; neuroprotective [89] |
Ozone (O3) stress | S. lycopersicon [43][44] | α-carotene, β-carotene, violoxanthin | Increase | Terpenoids | β-carotene | Antioxidants [90]; anti-inflammatory [91] |
isoprene, α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene, limonene, sabinene, (E)-β-ocimene, (Z)-β-ocimene, α-humulene, (E)-β-farnesene, (E,E)-α-farnesene, (E)-β-caryophyllene, δ-cadinene | Increase | Terpenoids | α-pinene; myrcene; limonene; α-humulene. | Anti-inflammatory [92]; anti-asthmatic [93]; antioxidant [94]; anti-inflammatory [95] | ||
O3 | Gingko biloba (Ginkgoaceae) [96] | ginkgolide A | Increase | Terpenoids | ginkgolide A | Neuroprotective [97] |
Ultraviolet radiation-B (UV-B) | Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae) [98] | kaempferol 3-gentiobioside-7-rhamnoside; kaempferol 3,7-dirhamnoside. | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | NA | NA |
UV-B | Brassica napus (Brassicaceae) [99] | quercetin 3-sophoroide-7-glucoside; quercetin 3-sinapyl sophoroside-7-glucoside | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | NA | NA |
UV-B | Brassica oleracea (Brassicaceae) [100] | cyanidine glycosides; sinapyl alcohol | Increase | Phenolics (Flavoboids) | NA | NA |
UV-B | C. roseus (Apocynaceae) [101][102] | catharanthine, vindoline | Increase | Alkaloids | catharanthine | Anticancer [103] |
Clarkia breweri (Onagraceae) [104] | eugenol, isoeugenol, methyleugenol, and isomethyleugenol | Increase | Phenolics | eugenol | Antifungal [105]; anti-inflammatory [106] | |
UV-B | Fagopyrum esculentum (Polygonaceae) [107] | rutin, quercetin, catechin | Increase | Phenolics | quercetin; catechin | Antioxidant [108]; anticancer and antioxidant [109][110] |
UV-B | Gnaphalium luteoalbum (Asteraceae) [28] | calycopterin; 3’-methoxycalycopterin | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | calycopterin | Anticancer [27] |
UV-B | G. viravira [111] | 7-O-methyl araneol | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | NA | NA |
UV-B | Hordeum vulgare (Poaceae) [112] | saponarin; luteolin | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | saponarin; luteolin | Antihypertensive [113]; antibacterial [114] |
UV-B | Marchantia polymorpha (Marchantiaceae) [115] | luteolin 7-glucuronide; luteolin 3,4’-di-p-coumaryl-quercetin 3-glucoside. | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | NA | NA |
UV-B | Quercus ilex (Fagaceae) [116] | acylated kaempferol glycosides | Increase | Phenolics (Flavonoids) | kaempferol | Anticancer [117]; anti-inflammatory [118] |
Heat stress | C. acuminata [119] | 10-hydroxycamptothecin | Increase | Alkaloids | 10-hydroxycamptothecin | Anticancer [120] |
Heat stress | Daucus carota (Apiaceae) [121][122][123] | α-terpinolene | Decrease | Terpenoids | α-terpinolene | Antioxidant and anticancer [124] |
α-caryophyllene, β-farnesene | Increase | NA | NA | |||
anthocyanins, coumaric and caffeic acid; | Increase | Phenolics | p-coumaric acid and caffeic acid | Antioxidant [125][126] | ||
Heat stress | Q. rubra (Fagaceae) [127] | isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) | Increase | Terpenoids | NA | NA |
Heat stress | S. lycopersicon [43][44] | β-phellandrene (dominant), 2-carene, α-phellandrene, limonene; increased emission of (E)-β-ocimene after treatment above 46 °C; β-caryophyllene. | Increase | Terpenoids | α-phellandrene; β-caryophyllene | Antifungal [128]; anticancer and anti-inflammatory [47][48] |
α-humulene | Decrease | α-humulene | Anticancer [129] | |||
Heat stress (increased humidity) | Centella asiatica (Apiaceae) [130] | asiaticoside | Increase | Phenolics | asiaticoside | Anti-cellulite agent [131] |