The evolution of chemosystematics

Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2000

Although the hybrid discipline of biochemical systematics has been a distinct field of study for only about ten years, it has had a telling impact on taxonomic practice. Nevertheless, the chemical approach, with its emphasis on the exact, tends to exlude much of the wealth of natural phenomena that are the backbone of taxonomy. It is necessary for the chemist and biochemist to acquire a better understanding of the nature of classification before undertaking surveys. More thought on infraspecific variation is also required, and the tentative nature of most phylogenetic proposals needs to be more widely appreciated. These problems are discussed in relation to recent studies involving different types of chemical compounds, including proteins, and suggestions are made for future priorities in chemotaxonomic research.

Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, 2002

Hoje, nada é mais importante para a sobrevivência humana do que compreender os mecanismos da natureza através de uma linguagem químico-biológica. Essa abordagem multidisciplinar é uma complexa operação, pois envolve a integração de vários níveis de organização, tais como química, morfologia e ecogeografia, expressos respectivamente pela diversificação de metabolitos, formas e ambientes. A comparação entre essas diferentes expressões da vida, apesar de sua importância incontestável, ainda permanece um árduo tópico de pesquisa. Aplicação dessa abordagem unificada poderia revigorar o estudo de um assunto antigo e controvertido, a bioatividade vegetal. Enfrentar o maior desafio desse propósito: confrontar o conhecimento tradicional com uma metodologia científica, requer a determinação de tendências entre usos de espécies de angiospermas, independentemente de empirismos e regionalismos. Assim, incorporação de novos códigos, expressando funções biológicas, na linguagem químico-biológica é possível somente através de conceitos e padrões evolutivos. Nothing is more important for human survival today, than understanding nature's mechanisms via a chemo-biological language. This multidisciplinary approach is a complex operation, because it involves integration of several levels of organization, such as chemistry, morphology and ecogeography, expressed by diversification of metabolites, forms and environments, respectively. A comparison among these different expressions of life, in spite of undisputed importance, still remains an arduous research topic. Application of this unified approach would revigorate the study of old and controversial matter, plant bioactivity. To face the major challenge toward this aim: confrontation of traditional knowledge with scientific methodology, required the determination of trends among the uses of angiosperm species independently of empiricisms and regionalities. Thus, incorporation of new codes, expressing biological functions, in the chemo-biological language becomes possible only through evolutionary concepts and patterns.

Asian Plant Research Journal, 2020

Chemotaxonomy is concerned with the systematic study of phytochemical variation between plants. This variation has been essentially used for classification purposes ever since 'folk taxonomies', based on certain obvious plant characteristics which were instinctively employed by mankind centuries ago which included characters such as edibility, taste, colour, smell and medicinal value were founded subjectively on such chemical properties. The growth in the knowledge of the chemical complexity of plants became high from the desires of Europeans for exotic spices and condiments which provoked investigations into their medicinal properties. This Knowledge about the subject was summarised in herbals and concentrated on information about physiologically active secondary metabolite such as alkaloids and saponins. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries knowledge in the field increased and some taxonomists made use of several chemical characteristics in attempts to delineate ...

The Natural Products Journal, 2013

A great number of research articles have been focused describing variation in the secondary metabolites of the organisms as chemotypes or chemovariation. However, the present definition and nomenclature of chemotype portray some problems such as: 1) low repeatability of natural product studies if a mixture of chemotypes is used in isolation studies; 2) risk of reporting chemotypes that do not exist due to similar variations encountered in seasonal and environmental differences, 3) reporting same chemotypes under different names. The problems addressed above demand an exact definition, a system of nomenclature and a systematic method to evaluate chemotypes. In order to solve these problems and to start a debate on the matter, an exact definition, a system of nomenclature and a systematic method to evaluate chemotypes were proposed. Addressing the above mentioned problems, chemotypes were defined as "organisms categorized under same species, subspecies or varieties having differences in quantity and quality of their component(s) in their whole chemical fingerprint that is related to genetic or genetic expression differences". A trinominal additional name in parentheses after the binominal name of the organism was proposed for naming chemotypes. In this nomenclature, first name informs the initials of the author's name of the chemotype, second name describes the location of the chemotype and last name explains the frequency of distribution of chemotype in its location. For the identification of chemotypes, an approach that evaluates fingerprint analysis data of the extracts of the organism being obtained with solvents of different polarity together with the fingerprint analysis data of the essential oils (if the subject organism contains any essential oils) has been proposed.

Nature which consists of so many variabilities of living components of the environment possesses useful, harmful and inactive chemical constituents. The classification based on these chemical constituents is known as chemotaxonomy. All the living components of the environment produce secondary metabolites that are derived from primary metabolites. The chemical structure of the secondary metabolites is often specific and restricted to taxonomically related organisms. The classification of plants on the basis of specific class of secondary metabolites and their biosynthetic pathways constitutes chemotaxonomy. Its study is helpful to taxonomist, phytochemists and pharmacologists to solve selected taxonomical problems.

2020

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2023

Chemical systematics sets out to interpret the phylogenetic implications of the occurrence and distribution of secondary metabolites. In this review, a number of the major contributions from the 1960's and 1970's are identified and re-assessed in the light of recent evidence gained from DNA studies. It is shown that for the most part conclusions drawn on the basis of secondary metabolite distribution have been confirmed by the new techniques and it is concluded that chemical systematics can continue to provide useful insights into plant phylogeny.

Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Chemia

Phytochemistry represents a large interdisciplinary research area which apply the chemical knowledge in plant biology, biochemistry and physiology. Since centuries, the technology related to the isolation and characterization of phytochemicals (plant secondary metabolites) developed gradually towards a holistic approach of omics' technology, as part of the "systems biology" concept. This review underlines the scientific progress during the last eight decades, from "classical" phytochemistry to metabolomics, applied on plants and food and reflects not only the role of phytochemicals as key-molecules with essential roles in plants and with great benefits on animal and human health, but also their involvement in plant chemotaxonomy, food technology and authenticity. First, a selection of the major groups of phytochemicals and their main bioresources. The metabolomic technology is presented, as a high-throughput analytical platform to identify, by untargeted or targeted techniques, the fingerprint or key metabolites of a specific pathway in plants or for authentication of a food matrix. Updated literature data are presented, including a summary of eight decades of achievements of the research group related to Chemistry and Biochemistry of Natural Products at the