Research on Plant Secondary Metabolites

Lifeasible focuses on applying natural metabolites in plant protection and provides research services related to plant secondary metabolites in plant protection to contribute to the application of plant secondary metabolites in plant protection.

Plants, as sedentary organisms, have evolved multiple mechanisms to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions. Their complex defense systems can overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. More than 100,000 metabolites are known to be involved in plant defense systems, including secondary metabolites, which play an important role in plant pest and disease defense. Phenolics, terpenes, and nitrogen/sulfur-containing compounds are plants' three main types of secondary metabolites. These plant secondary metabolites have anti-viral, anti-insect, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and herbicidal functions. For example, α-tomatine (tomato saponin) has strong antifungal properties by activating the G-protein pathway and phosphotyrosine kinase. In addition, the production of secondary metabolites facilitates plant resistance to abiotic stresses, including drought and high temperatures.

Fig. 1 Profiling plant secondary metabolites and their role in plant defense system (Zaynab et al., 2018).

Our Services

Lifeasible focuses on the research of plant secondary metabolites in plant protection and provides related research services, including metabolomic analysis of secondary metabolites, the isolation and purification of secondary metabolites, the mechanism study of secondary metabolites in plant protection, the synthesis study of secondary metabolites, and the optimization of secondary metabolites.

Metabolomic analysis of secondary metabolites

We provide metabolomic analysis services for plant secondary metabolites. We offer to analyze the differences in plant secondary metabolites in different states (healthy and stressed) and discover plant secondary metabolites that have a protective effect on plants. We have a variety of advanced instruments (e.g., LC-MS and HPLC equipment) to analyze plant secondary metabolites, which allows us to obtain metabolomic data quickly. We also have plant metabolite research and bioinformatics experts to help with metabolomic data analysis.

Isolation and purification of secondary metabolites

Plant secondary metabolites are generally less abundant in plants and relatively difficult to extract. Our company provides plant secondary metabolite isolation and purification services to help obtain high-purity plant secondary metabolites for structural identification. In addition, we also provide extraction and isolation services for plant secondary metabolites that are produced by bioengineering fermentation.

Mechanism study of secondary metabolites in plant protection

Understanding the specific plant protection role of plant secondary metabolites facilitates the development of plant protection products related to plant secondary metabolites. We provide research services on the protective mechanisms of plant secondary metabolites in biotic and abiotic stresses. Among them, we focus more on the mechanism of secondary metabolites against biotic stresses, including the anti-microbial, anti-insect, and anti-viral mechanisms.

Synthesis study of secondary metabolites

We help to study the mechanisms of secondary metabolite synthesis in plants and the factors (both biotic and abiotic) that influence secondary metabolite synthesis. We will make more use of omics technologies (such as transcriptomic and metabolomic) to rapidly achieve the study of the mechanism of plant secondary metabolite synthesis. This research service contributes to the artificial regulation of plant resistance during plant growth and the bioengineered synthesis and production of plant secondary metabolites.

Optimization of secondary metabolites

We offer optimization services for the protective properties of secondary metabolites plants and the production of secondary metabolites plants. We will optimize the protective properties of secondary metabolites plants by chemical modifications and chemical group substitution. We will optimization of the culture technology of cells, tissues, and plant organs in bioreactors to help achieve large-scale production of secondary metabolites.

Lifeasible values research on the role of plant secondary metabolites in plant protection and is committed to providing services to help develop plant protection products related to plant secondary metabolites. We always provide targeted services with the aim of realizing plant protection applications of plant secondary metabolites. Please contact us to collaborate in the development of plant secondary metabolite-related plant protection products.