Secondary Metabolite: 

DEFINITION: Secondary metabolites are compounds that are not essential for the basic growth, development, and reproduction of organisms, but they may play important ecological roles. They are produced by a wide variety of organisms, including plants, fungi, bacteria, and insects. Secondary metabolites can have a wide range of biological activities, including: Defense, Communication between individuals, Attraction of pollinators, Allelopathy (the suppression of other plants) etc.

Examples of secondary metabolites include:

  • Alkaloids: morphine, caffeine, nicotine, quinine
  • Terpenoids: essential oils, menthol, rubber
  • Phenolics: flavonoids, tannins, lignin
  • Quinones: ubiquinone, coenzyme Q10
  • Anthraquinones: laxatives, dyes
  • Glycosides: cardiac glycosides, cyanogenic glycosides

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