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Discussion
Classification of plants without the investigation of chemical constituents
(chemotaxonomy) is assessed through examination of the morphology of
the taxa that is under scrutiny. This would be inadequate in defining taxa
accurately and therefore the study of chemotaxonomic classification has
added considerable significance in positioning taxa within the appropriate
system (Bhargava, Patel and Desai, 2013). Plants of the same family
commonly synthesise similar compounds as they often contain analogous
enzymes, producing similar biosynthetic pathways. It is also possible for
the same metabolites can be the product of two quite different pathways.
Chemotaxonomic studies include the investigation of the pattern of
compound occurring in the plant and preferentially various explants such
as the bark, wood, leaves, root, fruits and seeds. Holistic investigations
are necessary in order to achieve substantial evidence for the taxa being
studied, which should include testing on an acceptable number of
specimens of the plants in order to classify the plants as a whole.
Organic compounds within plants are recognised as primary metabolites,
secondary metabolites and semantides. Primary metabolites such as
acotinic acid and citric acid are present in the Krebs cycle and therefore
may not be beneficial in systematically positioning a plant; however the
varying quantities of these metabolites in different plants may be of use
(Stace, 1989). Secondary metabolites have limited prevalence which
makes them much more valuable in positioning plants. They have nonessential functions which are less fundamentally widespread in plants as
with primary metabolites used for growth, reproduction and
photosynthesis (Stace, 1989). Secondary metabolite functions are, as well
as regulating primary metabolic pathways, often evolved to aid plants to
survive and thrive in their environment. Examples are pigments, tastes
and scents which can attract pollinators or repel herbivores, insects and
microorganisms, while others may act as poisons. These secondary
metabolites as mentioned may be specific to a genus and therefore can
act as reliable taxonomy markers. This can be of aid when screening taxa
for the possibility of a particular secondary metabolite. The biosynthesis of
secondary metabolites has a tendency to be in specialised cells and with
not being used in metabolic functions are in smaller quantities to that of
primary metabolites (Balandrin et al., 1985). Higher plants produce many
organic compounds with the potential to be valuable medicinally and
therefore commercially also, however it is still the case that many have
still not been analysed for their chemically characterised (Balandrin et al.,
1985). Chemotaxonomy is continuing to expand the portfolio of
biologically active compounds by positioning plants within appropriate
systems.
The use of plants in pharmaceuticals is extensive with many medicinal
products utilising chemicals naturally produced by plants or semisynthetic modified plant chemicals. They may also be used in the
development of insecticides or genetically modified foods that are less
susceptible to being attacked by herbivores and insects. Some common
types of secondary metabolites are alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids,
for drug companies who may simply look to optimise the activity of a
compound already known (Walton and Brown, 1999).
Conclusion
Plants are essentially chemical factories Walton and Brown wrote (1999)
which naturally synthesise extremely diverse complex structures tailored
for their needs. Chemotaxonomy has already proved to be of great
benefits in the discovery of drugs. Even when phytochemicals have been
used for many years, with the new analysis methods at disposal we have
been able to identify and isolate active chemicals that we want and refine
them from unwanted chemicals which may be present. New complex
secondary metabolites are being revealed and categorised all the time
and so the understanding of biosynthesis and chemotaxonomy of plants is
far from complete even for known plants. It is understood that when
chemicals are detected within a sample that any not expected should be
investigated further as even very small quantities may be the result of
contamination or possibly indicative of the occurrence polymorphism due
to ecological stresses from where it was sourced. With the changes in
climate that are well documented and predicted to continue there may
well be manifestations in plants through changes in biochemical as a
result. An estimated only 20-30% of the worlds plants have undergone
chemotaxonomy (Walton and Brown, 1999) and continued phytochemical
and pharmacological studies will no doubt provide new sources for
medicines and foods. With the developments in technology it is growing
more possible to use chemical data from plants and investigate if the
phytochemicals of interest in them can be made in a more sustainable
manner without the need to cultivate and harvest them from plant
sources. The use of plant cell cultures is one aspect which is benefiting
both chemical characterisation and industrial production. But with
certainty it can be said that any quests for new medicines or foods from
plants will be more successful with a chemotaxonomy approach.
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