Full Description
This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative review of the biological and ecological roles played by specialized metabolites (secondary metabolites) in the life cycle of plants, and it also covers the latest biotechnological advances in metabolite production and various industrial applications.
Divided into three parts, the book starts with an outline of the diverse biological effects of specialized metabolites on plant-microbe and plant-insect interactions, soil health, reproduction, and human welfare. In this first part, readers will find topics such as the Importance of Plant Secondary Metabolites in modern therapy, melatonin and inflammatory and immune-modulated diseases, antimicrobial and antiprotozoal potential of specialized metabolites, the use of plant specialized metabolites in aromatherapy, the role of tannins in cardiovascular diseases, a pharmacological perspective on isoflavones and noncommunicable diseases, algal secondary metabolites, and plant specialized metabolites used as aphrodisiacs. In Part II, chapters present an overview of the ecological roles played by plant specialized metabolites in pollination, plant defence, agriculture and weed management, among others. In the third and final part of this book, readers will discover the latest biotechnological approaches for bioactive compound production and identification, including the discovery of bioactive specialized metabolites based on metabolomic approaches, and a perspective on the industrial applications of plant specialized metabolites.
Given its breadth, this book is of interest to botanists, biotechnologists, phytochemists, industrialists, environmentalists, biologists and all those involved in the production and use of secondary/specialized metabolites.
Contents
An Introduction to Specialized Metabolites from Plants, Their Biological and Ecological Roles, and Biotechnological Interventions to Improve the Production.- Importance of Plant Secondary Metabolites in Modern Therapy.- Secondary Metabolites: Treasure Trove for Future Medicine.- Melatonin and Inflammatory and Immune-Modulated Diseases: New Applications of a Metabolite Also Produced by Plants.- Antiprotozoal Activity of Secondary Metabolites.- Antibacterial and Antifungal Potential of Plant Secondary Metabolites.- Diverse Ecological and Biological Roles of Secondary Metabolites of Saussurea costus(Falc.) Lipsch.- Aromatherapy: Therapy with Fragrances of Lavender Essential Oil.- Role of Hydrolyzable and Condensed Tannins in Cardiovascular Diseases.
