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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Sesquiterpene Lactones: More Than Protective Plant Compounds With High Toxicity

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Author(s):
Padilla-Gonzalez, Guillermo Federico [1] ; dos Santos, Felipe Antunes [1] ; Da Costa, Fernando Batista [1]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Pharmaceut Sci Ribeirao Preto, AsterBioChem Res Team, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 1
Document type: Review article
Source: CRITICAL REVIEWS IN PLANT SCIENCES; v. 35, n. 1, p. 18-37, JAN 2 2016.
Web of Science Citations: 17
Abstract

Sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) constitute a large group of secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in several angiosperm plant families and a few bryophytes, including liverworts. These metabolites are particularly diversified in the family Asteraceae, in which more than 5,000 compounds have been reported so far. In addition to their pharmacological importance and potential therapeutic applications, most STLs display a wide range of protective activities in plants, including acting as anti-herbivory and antimicrobial substances or inhibiting growth of competing plants. These activities are mainly related to their characteristic ,-unsaturated structural elements, which can participate in Michael-type additions with biological nucleophiles that contain sulfhydryl groups. Supporting the protective roles of STLs, they are mainly located in glandular trichomes of aerial parts because the highly nonspecific toxicity of such compounds necessitates compartmentalization to prevent autotoxicity. However, STLs have also been reported in other aerial and underground organs, where they are assumed to exhibit other biological activities. Recent studies have suggested that these metabolites not only display protective activities due to toxicity but also play key physiological roles in mediating rhizosphere communication among plants, soil microorganisms and plant parasites. STLs have been directly implicated in plant phototropism, resulting in differential growth of a plant organ due to auxin inhibition when accumulated in response to a light stimulus. This review therefore not only highlights the protective roles of STLs in producing plants but also explores the physiological roles of these metabolites, thus providing insights for new research approaches for understanding the roles of STLs in plants and their potential future applications. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/10249-3 - Chemometrics applied to metabolomics of Aldama La Llave: chemotaxonomic contributions and targeted phytochemistry based on cyclooxygenase-1 and 5-lipoxygenase inhibition
Grantee:Felipe Antunes dos Santos
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
FAPESP's process: 14/17702-0 - Metabolomics and evolution of chemical characters in the subtribe Espeletiinae (Asteraceae)
Grantee:Guillermo Federico Padilla Gonzalez
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 10/51454-3 - Morphoanatomical, metabolomic and molecular studies as subsidies to the systematic of Asteraceae species and access to their pharmacological potential
Grantee:Beatriz Appezzato da Glória
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants