ANTIPORDA, TRICZA MAIGNE M.

BSP2B
Pharmacognosy and Plant Chemistry 2nd Sem, 2020
Online Activity
Answer the following:
1. Give the two types of plant constituents, define and give examples.
The inert constituents are chemical compounds, though present in plant and animal kingdom. It does not
possess any definite therapeutic values as such but are useful as an adjunct in the formulation of a drug or
in surgery. The examples are starch, lignin and albumin.
The active constituents in plants are the chemicals that have a medicinal effect on the body. These are the
active ingredients of the plant, the chemicals that have a marked, definable physiological and therefore,
possibly medical activity upon the body. It has been divided into 16 maingroups which is Alkaloids,
Anthocyanins, Anthraquinones, Cardiac Glycosides, Coumarins, Cyanogenic Glycosides, Flavonoids,
Glucosilinates, Phenols, Saponins, and Tannins.
2. Differentiate pharmaceutically active and pharmacologically active constituents and give examples.
The pharmaceutically active are substance that do not have value and perhaps their presence are due to the
lack of excretory mechanism in them and ultimately result as the ‘residual lock-up’ superfluous metabolites
while pharmacologically active constituents are substances which exert a positive survival value on the
plant wherein they are actually present. They offer more or less a natural defense mechanism whereby these
host plants are survived from destruction owing to their astringent, odorous and unpalatable features.
3. Differentiate primary and secondary metabolites. Elaborate.
Primary metabolites are products produced continuously during the exponential phase of growth and are
involved in primary metabolic processes such as respiration and photosynthesis. They include
intermediates and end-products of anabolic metabolism, which are used by the cell as building blocks for
essential macromolecules (e.g. amino acids, nucleotides) or are converted to coenzymes (e.g. vitamins).
Industrially, the most significant primary metabolites are amino acids, nucleotides, vitamins, solvents and
organic acids. Many of these metabolites are manufactured by microbial fermentation and isolation
instead of chemical synthesis because the fermentations are economically competitive and produce
biologically useful isomeric forms.
Microbial secondary metabolites are compounds produced by an organism that are not required for
primary metabolic processes, although they can have important ecologic and other
functions. Streptomycetes and related actinomycetes continue to be prolific sources of novel secondary
metabolites. Microbial secondary metabolites include antibiotics, pigments, toxins, effectors of ecological
competition and symbiosis, pheromones, enzyme inhibitors, immunomodulating agents, receptor
antagonists and agonists, pesticides, antitumor agents and growth promoters of animals and plants.
Secondary metabolites are derived by pathways in which primary metabolites involve. Therefore,
secondary metabolites are considered as the end products of primary metabolites.

4. Define biogenesis.
A study of the biochemical pathways that precisely lead to the formulation of active constituents otherwise
referred to as the secondary constituents mostly employed as drugs. This specific study is normally termed
as Drug Biosynthesis or Biogenesis.
5. Define metabolic pathways.
A metabolic pathway is a series of steps found in biochemical reactions that help convert molecules or
substrates, such as sugar, into different, more readily usable materials. These reactions occur inside of a
cell, where enzymes, or protein molecules, break down or build up molecules.
Metabolic pathways can be classified as catabolic (energy generating) and anabolic (energy utilizing).
Catabolic pathway is an exergonic system that produces chemical energy in the form of ATP, GTP, NADH,
NADPH, FADH2, etc. from energy containing sources such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The end
products are often carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia.
In contrast to catabolism, anabolic pathways require an energy input to construct macromolecules such as
polypeptides, nucleic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids. This form larger and more complex
molecules from smaller molecules.
6. Define primary metabolism and give sample metabolites.
Primary metabolism are involved in maintaining normal physiological processes thus, referred to as central
metabolite. This is essential in proper growth, development, and reproduction. Examples include ethanol,
lactic acid, nucleotides, and vitamins.
7. What are the metabolic processes/pathways that is involved in the degradation of carbohydrates and
sugars?
Carbohydrate metabolism is a fundamental biochemical process that ensures a constant supply of energy to
living cells. The most important carbohydrate is glucose, which can be broken down via glycolysis, enter
into the Kreb's cycle and oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP.
Further important pathways in carbohydrate metabolism include the pentose phosphate pathway
(conversion of hexose sugars into pentoses), glycogenesis (conversion of excess glucose into glycogen,
stimulated by insulin), glycogenolysis (conversion of glycogen polymers into glucose, stimulated by
glucagon) and gluconeogenesis (de novo glucose synthesis).
8. Give the intermediates and pathways where the most important building blocks employed in the
biosynthesis of secondary metabolites are derived.
The intermediates for most important building blocks in biosynthesis of secondary are from acetyl
coenzyme A (acetyl COA), shikimic acid, mevalonic acid, and 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate. The Shikimic
Acid Pathway, Acetate-Mevalonate Pathway and Acetate-Malonate Pathway are three main routes to the
wealth of chemical compounds found in plants.
9. Enumerate the eight building blocks that form the basis of many of the natural product structures (carbon
and nitrogen skeleton of a natural product).
The eight building blocks that form the basis of many of the natural product structures are C1, C2, C5,
C6C3, C6C2N, Indole.C2N, C4N, and C5N.
10. Give the precursors of the ff: phenylpropyl unit, Indole.C 2N, heterocyclic pyrrolidine (C4N), and
piperidine (C5N).
Precursors of phenylpropyl unit (C6C3): L-phenylalanine or L-tyrosine
Precursors of Indole.C2N: undergoes carboxylation in a similar way to L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine.
Precursor of heterocyclic pyrrolidine (C4N): non-protein amino acid L-ornithine
Precursors of piperidine (C5N): L-lysine

11. Give the five groups of plants hormone (growth regulators), their effects in plants and effects in the
formation of secondary metabolites.
1) Auxin is the active ingredient in most rooting compounds in which cuttings are dipped during vegetative
propagation. This causes several responses in plants:

 Bending toward a light source (phototropism).

 Downward root growth in response to gravity (geotropism).
 Promotion of apical dominance (the tendency of an apical bud to produce hormones that suppress
the growth of the buds below it on the stem).
 Flower formation.
 Fruit set and growth.
 Formation of adventitious roots.
2) Gibberellins stimulate cell division and elongation, break seed dormancy, and speed germination. The
seeds of some species are difficult to germinate; you can soak them in a GA solution to get them started.
3) Cytokinins are produced in the regions where cell division occurs; mostly in the roots and shoots. They
help in the production of new leaves, lateral shoot growth, chloroplasts in leaves etc. They help in
overcoming apical dominance and delay ageing of leaves. The following are the responses of cytokinins:

 Break bud and seed dormancy.

 Promotes the growth of the lateral bud.

 Promotes cell division and apical dominance.

 They are used to keep flowers fresh for a longer time.

 Used in tissue culture to induce cell division in mature tissues.

 Promote lateral shoot growth and adventitious shoot formation.

 Promote nutrient mobilization which in turn helps delay leaf senescence.

 Helps in delaying the process of ageing (senescence) in fresh leaf crops like cabbage and lettuce.

 Involved in the formation of new leaves and chloroplast organelles within the plant cell.

 Used to induce the development of shoot and roots along with auxin, depending on the ratio.
4) Abscisic acid (ABA) is a general plant-growth inhibitor. It induces dormancy and prevents seeds from
germinating; causes abscission of leaves, fruits, and flowers; and causes stomata to close. High
concentrations of ABA in guard cells during periods of drought stress probably play a role in stomatal
closure.
5) Ethylene is unique because it is found only in the gaseous form. It induces ripening, which cause the
leaves to droop (epinasty) and drop (abscission), and promotes senescence. The plants often increase
ethylene production in response to stress, and ethylene often is found in high concentrations within cells at
the end of a plant's life. The increased ethylene in leaf tissue in the fall is part of the reason leaves fall off
trees. Ethylene also is used to ripen fruit.
References:
https://pediaa.com/difference-between-primary-and-secondary-metabolites/
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-metabolic-pathway-definition-example.html
https://www.slideshare.net/wadekarpradnyap/metabolic-pathways-in-higher-plants-and-their-
determination
http://www.epharmacognosy.com/2012/03/drug-biosynthesis-or-biogenesis.html
http://www.epharmacognosy.com/2012/03/inert-constituents.html

https://communities.acs.org/thread/9716-what-is-the-difference-between-primary-metabolites-and-
secondary-metabolites

https://www.tocris.com/cell-biology/carbohydrate-metabolism
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=A4zptjOJfKQC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=Precursors+of+phen
ylpropyl+unit:&source=bl&ots=whkqN-
NFSg&sig=ACfU3U3UQaAFIzO_0ihmyiU9_4YztHsUFw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiF9M6c0JPo
AhXfwosBHaO1DWQQ6AEwAHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=Precursors%20of%20phenylpropyl%20u
nit%3A&f=false
http://www.pharmacy180.com/article/the-building-blocks-90/
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/how-hormones-growth-regulators-affect-your-
plants
https://byjus.com/biology/plant-growth-regulators/