Alkaloids in tropical plants - research overview, innovation and biotechnological advance
Functional foods, Pathway engineering, Bioactive compounds, Secondary metabolites
The natural products of plants, such as alkaloids, one of the main groups of secondary metabolites derived from
plants, have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal and food purposes. The climatic conditions
found in the tropical region favour the production of these compounds. In this review, we survey studies on
alkaloids from tropical species and find that at least 113 families and 565 tropical species have been examined;
despite their potential, alkaloids were not identified or isolated in most species. Additionally, we found that
approximately 3400 patents were registered in the last 20 years; however, the contributions by tropical countries
are lower than those of countries outside the region. Furthermore, new techniques have been employed to
develop new products based on alkaloids from tropical plants and to increase the content of these compounds
within plants. Although many advances have been made in recent years, challenges such as the adaptation of new
techniques, the discovery of new expression vectors with greater compatibility, and studies on elicitors and the
effects of climate change on the production of alkaloids in tropical plants remain to be resolved and discussed by
the scientific community.