Plants produce a great variety of organic compounds that are not directly involved in primary metabolic processes of growth and development. The roles these natural products or secondary metabolites play in plants have only recently come to be appreciated in an analytical context. Natural products appear to function primarily in defense against predators and pathogens and in providing reproductive advantage as attractants of pollinators and seed dispersers. They may also act to create competitive advantage as poisons of rival species.
Most natural products can be classified into three major groups: terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds (mostly phenylpropanoids). Terpenoids are composed of five-carbon units synthesized by way of the acetate/mevalonate pathway or the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate/pyruvate pathway. Many plant terpenoids are toxins and feeding deterrents to herbivores or are attractants of various sorts. Alkaloids are synthesized principally from amino acids. These nitrogen-containing compounds protect plants from a variety of herbivorous animals, and many possess pharmacologically important activity. Phenolic compounds, which are synthesized primarily from products of the shikimic acid pathway, have several important roles in plants. Tannins, lignans, flavonoids, and some simple phenolic compounds serve as defenses against herbivores and pathogens.
Flavonoids were found to comprise mainly quercetin and kaempferol, and the major dietary contributor was black tea, followed by onions and apples. Multivariate regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between flavonoid intake and risk of mortality from coronary heart disease after adjustment for age and other risk factors.
Further Reading Materials:
Analysis of Phenolic Plant Metabolites
Peter G. Waterman & Simon Mole
ISBN 0-632-02969-2 ,1994
A Guide to Identification and Treatment of Biocatalyst and Biochemical
Intolerance
Jacqueline Krohn, MD, Frances A. Taylor, MA
Los Alamos Medical Center
3917 West Rd, Suite 136
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Second Edition, C 1994
A practitioners guide to physiological effects of compounds, sources of the compounds, ad common symptoms triggered by compounds.
Phenolic Compounds in Food and Their
Effects on Health I, Analysis, Occurrence & Chemistry
Chi-Tang Ho, Chang Y. Lee, and Mou-Tuan Huang
American Chemical Society Symposium Series 506
ISBN 0-8412-2475-7
Phenolic Compounds in Food and Their
Effects on Health II, Antioxidants & Cancer Prevention
Chi-Tang Ho, Chang Y. Lee, and Mou-Tuan Huang
American Chemical Society Symposium Series 507
ISBN 0-8412-2476-5
Phenolic Compounds and Metabolic Regulation
Edited by Bernard Finkle, 1967
Biochemistry of Phenolic Compounds
Edited by J.B. Harbborne
1964
Academic Press
External Links for More Information:
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Chemical Compounds In Plants & Animals, Phenolic Compounds, Glycosides, Alkaloids.
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Phenolic Compounds in Gingko.