Plant volatiles: Production, function and pharmacology

Abstract

Plant volatiles typically occur as a complex mixture of low-molecular weight lipophilic compounds derived from different biosynthetic pathways, and are seemingly produced as part of a defense strategy against biotic and abiotic stress, as well as contributing to various physiological functions of the producer organism. The biochemistry and molecular biology of plant volatiles is complex, and involves the interplay of several biochemical pathways and hundreds of genes. All plants are able to store and emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but the process shows remarkable genotypic variation and phenotypic plasticity. From a physiological standpoint, plant volatiles are involved in three critical processes, namely plant–plant interaction, the signaling between symbiotic organisms, and the attraction of pollinating insects. Their role in these ‘‘housekeeping’’ activities underlies agricultural applications that range from the search for sustainable methods for pest control to the production of flavors and fragrances. On the other hand, there is also growing evidence that VOCs are endowed with a range of biological activities in mammals, and that they represent a substantially under-exploited and still largely untapped source of novel drugs and drug leads. This review summarizes recent major developments in the study of biosynthesis, ecological functions and medicinal applications of plant VOCs.

Physiological responses of Rhamdia quelen (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) to anesthesia with essential oils from two different chemotypes of Lippia alba

“…On the other hand, L. alba collected in northern Brazil can be classified in the chemotype citral, once this is the major compound of its EO (54.26%). Some authors indicated that geographical distribution and exposure to different soil and weather conditions, season of collection can affect the chemical composition of L. alba EO (Pascual et al, 2001;Hennebelle et al, 2008;Maffei et al, 2011;Teles et al, 2012). However, specimens from the chemotypes citral, linalool and carvone, collected in different regions of Brazil, cultivated in similar conditions, maintained the same chemical composition, indicating that differences are due to genotypic variations (Tavares et al, 2005).…”

“…Due to its genetic variation, wide geographical distribution and exposure to different soil and weather conditions, and distinct seasons of collection, L. alba can produce EOs with different chemical composition, which expresses the occurrence of distinct chemotypes (Pascual et al, 2001;Hennebelle et al, 2008;Maffei et al, 2011;Teles et al, 2012). There are numerous chemotypes of L. alba in Brazil, such as: citral, linalool, ß-caryophyllene, tagetenone, limonene, carvone, myrcene, γ-terpinene, camphor-1,8-cineole and estragole, which produce different pharmacological effects (Oliveira et al, 2006;Hennebelle et al, 2008;Vale et al 2012;Viccini et al, 2014).…”

Applications of In Vivo and In Vitro Solid-Phase Microextraction Techniques in Plant Analysis

“…Volatiles are also released from vegetable plant organs, especially after herbivore damage. VOCs emitted from vegetables can functions as attractants for enemies of herbivores and have been suggested to serve as direct defenses against herbivores [5], as defenses against pathogens [6], as protectants against abiotic stress, and as signals in intra-and interplant communication [7]. Furthermore, a large amount of plants also emit VOCs in response to environmental or climate changes, such as light, temperature, flooding, or drought [8][9][10].…”

Cartografiado de QTL y genes candidatos asociados a metabolitos determinantes de la calidad de fruto en melocotón

“…Las formas de acción de los volátiles terpenoides son variadas desde la intoxicación directa, repeler o disuadir insectos (Aharoni et al, 2003;Seybold et al, 2006) así como también atraer a predadores naturales (Kessler and Baldwin, 2001). Incluso, se ha reportado que ciertos monoterpenos tiene un efecto alelopático sobre plantas vecinas (Maffei et al, 2011). Por tanto no puede descartarse que este módulo de compuestos posea funciones diferentes a la atracción de frugívoros.…”