MadSci Network: Botany |
Plant medicinal compounds are secondary compounds, most of which function in plant defense. The first reference indicates most secondary compounds would be in the vacuole or "specific vesicles." Collectively, plants make well over 10,000 secondary compounds. While not necessarily considered medicines, anthocyanins are antioxidants, which can prevent cancers and possibly other diseases. Anthocyanins give colors to many fruits, vegetables and flowers and are located in vacuoles. Lycopene and other carotenoids are also antioxidents and are located in plastids, either chloroplasts or chromoplasts. The red color of tomato fruit is due to lycopene. Are you interested in specific medicinal compounds such as taxol, vincristine, reserpine, morphine, chaulmoogra, atropine, quinine and digitalis? References The Secondary Metabolism of Plants: Secondary Defence Compounds Plants as a factory to produce molecules Re: what good is a vacuole? Top Ten Antioxidant Foods Writeups and illustrations of economically important plants
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