Impact of Environmental Factors on Stilbene Biosynthesis

Abstract

Stilbenes are a small family of polyphenolic secondary metabolites that can be found in several distantly related plant species. These compounds act as phytoalexins, playing a crucial role in plant defense against phytopathogens, as well as being involved in the adaptation of plants to abiotic environmental factors. Among stilbenes, trans-resveratrol is certainly the most popular and extensively studied for its health properties. In recent years, an increasing number of stilbene compounds were subjected to investigations concerning their bioactivity. This review presents the most updated knowledge of the stilbene biosynthetic pathway, also focusing on the role of several environmental factors in eliciting stilbenes biosynthesis. The effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, ultrasonication, mechanical stress, salt stress, drought, temperature, ozone, and biotic stress are reviewed in the context of enhancing stilbene biosynthesis, both in planta and in plant cell and organ cultures. This knowledge may shed some light on stilbene biological roles and represents a useful tool to increase the accumulation of these valuable compounds.

Seasonal Variations of Rosmarinic Acid and Its Glucoside and Expression of Genes Related to Their Biosynthesis in Two Medicinal and Aromatic Species of Salvia subg. Perovskia

“…Many previous studies documented the influence of various factors on phytochemical profiles in medicinal and aromatic plants. The environmental factors change along the season, for example, causing periodical water deficits in summer that may lead to metabolic adjustments via associated gene expression modulation [ 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ].…”

Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activities of Coleus amboinicus Lour. Cultivated in Indonesia and Poland

“…On the other hand, temperature also affects metabolic profile. Elevated temperature can cause increase in both terpenoids and in phenolics, whereas lower temperatures are also known to stimulate phenolic accumulation [30,31]. The combination of temperature and higher solar irradiance may have led to earlier depletion of antioxidant compounds in Indonesian plants.…”

“…976.05), and ether extract (EE; using a Soxhlet System HT analyzer; method no. 973.18) concentrations [30]. Organic matter (OM) was calculated by subtracting ash concentration from DM content.…”

Exogenous Stilbenes Improved Tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana to a Shock of Ultraviolet B Radiation

“…The stilbene biosynthesis activation was accompanied by enhanced expression of stilbene biosynthesis-related genes and their protein levels [26,28]. The molecular mechanisms of stilbene biosynthesis activation in response to UV radiation and their specific contribution to plant photoprotection remain poorly understood [22,23]. According to our recent data, transgenic plants of A. thaliana overexpressing a stilbene synthase (STS) gene and accumulating increased stilbene amounts exhibited improved resistance to UV-B and UV-C radiation in comparison with plants transformed with a control vector [29].…”

“…Regarding stilbenes and ultraviolet radiation, the findings available in the literature indicate that stilbenes, as well as other plant phenolics, are implicated in plant protection against the ultraviolet damaging effects [ 22 , 23 ]. Multiple studies demonstrated that UV-C irradiation dramatically increased stilbene production [ 22 , 23 ].…”