Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 9-20.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2024-0497

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Research Progress in Benzoxazinoids in Plants

LI Xiao-ming(), SHANG Xiu-hua, WANG You-shuang, WU Zhi-hua()   

  1. Fast-growing Tree Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Zhanjiang 524022
  • Received:2024-05-28 Online:2025-04-26 Published:2025-04-25
  • Contact: WU Zhi-hua E-mail:lixiaoming203@163.com;wzhua2889@163.com

Abstract:

Plant secondary metabolites are important components of regulators and defense substances that regulate growth and development, and their compound types are extremely complex. Benzoxazinoids (BXs), as one of the secondary metabolites of the alkaloid family, have natural plant active ingredients and are used in the fields of pharmaceutical ingredients and food additives. Their pharmacological and health effects have become a new research hotspot. At present, the study on BXs compounds is concentrated on gramineae corn and wheat, and the research on their regulatory mechanisms is not in-depth enough. In this paper, the secondary metabolic process of BXs compounds is introduced in detail from the composition, classification and metabolic pathways. The evolutionary characteristics indicate that they have a unique biosynthetic cluster structure. It is summarized that BXs compounds play a defensive role in plant growth and development, including defense against insects, microbial interactions and allelopathy in competing plants. Moreover, BXs serve as signaling molecules that mediate plant chelation of metal ions, respond to external environmental stimuli and participate in the regulators of plant hormones, revealing the important function of BXs compounds in the interaction between plants and environmental conditions. Concurrently, it summarizes the issues and solutions faced by BXs compounds in the current research. It is believed that with the in-depth research of BXs compounds, it will surely promote the development of new agricultural production and sustainable strategic practices, help to deeply explore their potential application value, and solve the multiple challenges facing current agricultural and forestry production.

Key words: benzoxazinoids, secondary metabolism, biosynthesis, defense, allelopathy, signaling molecule