Chemical Diversity of Plant Specialized Metabolites: A Biosynthetic Approach

The phytochemical constituents of plants fall into two main categories based on their role in basic metabolic processes: primary and secondary. Primary metabolites are involved in basic life functions and are similar in all living cells, whereas secondary metabolites are derived from subsidiary pathways. Although traditionally referred to as secondary metabolites, more recently these compounds have been termed ‘plant specialized metabolites’, as the exact biochemical boundary between primar...