Toxic Plant-Derived Metabolites

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 338

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Animal Physiology and Development/Electron and Confocal Microscope Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
Interests: pesticides and biopesticides; natural extracts of terrestrial and marine plants; secondary metabolites; toxicity assessment; liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento delle Culture Europee e del Mediterraneo, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Potenza, Italy
Interests: pesticides and biopesticides; natural extracts of terrestrial and marine plants; secondary metabolites; toxicity assessment; liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Physiology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
Interests: insect physiology; insect reproduction; insect immune system; pest control; glycoalkaloids; pep-tidomimetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the growing awareness of the toxicity of synthetic substances, a growing interest in natural substances that possess biological activity has been observed in recent decades. Plants synthesize a wide variety of metabolites of different structures and chemical properties. Depending on the dose or concentration, they may show health-promoting, therapeutic, or toxic activity. Among such substances are, for example, alkaloids, terpenoids, glucosinolates, phenolic compounds, tannins, and others. To tackle toxicity, antifungal, antibacterial, or zoocidal processes are already used in crop and food protection. Cytotoxic properties of plant metabolites are used for anticancer or antiparasitic drugs. On the other hand, the mechanisms of their toxic activity have not been entirely described. Toxic plant metabolites may pollute ecosystems and harm food webs. Therefore, there is a need to continue and develop studies on either the beneficial or negative effects of plant metabolites on the biosphere, from the subcellular level to whole ecosystems.

For this Special Issue, we invite scientists focusing on various aspects of plant metabolites. The research articles on the toxic activity of plant products in pharmacological, medicinal, agricultural, and environmental aspects are welcomed. Also, the research papers describing the possible application of these substances in various branches of human activity, namely agriculture, medicine, food protection, etc., are highly expected. Of course, basic studies that are crucial for understanding the mechanism of action of plant metabolites are invaluable and invited. We are also interested in reviews, perspectives, opinions, protocols, and other methodological papers showing state-of-the-art methods and the latest progress in the field of plant metabolites’ toxicity.

Dr. Zbigniew Adamski
Dr. Laura Scrano
Dr. Karolina Walkowiak-Nowicka
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant metabolites
  • secondary metabolites
  • alkaloids
  • terpenoids
  • glucosinolates
  • phenolic compound tannins
  • natural pesticides
  • cytotoxicity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 3047 KiB  
Article
Fate of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Soil: Insights from Myosotis arvensis L. and Senecio vulgaris L.
by Ilva Nakurte, Gundars Skudriņš and Ieva Mežaka
Toxins 2025, 17(7), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17070335 - 2 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are plant-derived toxins with environmental persistence and the potential to contaminate soil, water, and adjacent crops. This study investigated the leaching behavior and environmental fate of PAs from two PA-producing weeds—Myosotis arvensis L. (Boraginaceae) and Senecio vulgaris L. (Asteraceae)—in two [...] Read more.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are plant-derived toxins with environmental persistence and the potential to contaminate soil, water, and adjacent crops. This study investigated the leaching behavior and environmental fate of PAs from two PA-producing weeds—Myosotis arvensis L. (Boraginaceae) and Senecio vulgaris L. (Asteraceae)—in two Latvian agricultural soils: sandy loam and loam. Hot- and cold-water plant extracts were applied to soil columns (10 cm and 20 cm), and leachates were analyzed over a 14-day period using QuEChERS purification and LC-HRMS detection. Leaching varied by plant species, extract type, and soil. M. arvensis showed significantly higher cumulative leaching (77–84% for cold, 65–71% for hot extracts), attributed to the higher solubility of N-oxides. In contrast, S. vulgaris extracts leached minimally (<0.84% from sandy loam) and were undetectable in loam. The presence of cyclic diester PAs in S. vulgaris and the higher cation exchange capacity of loam favored retention or degradation. PANO-to-PA conversion occurred in both soils, indicating redox activity. The fate of PAs was influenced by structural type (diesters showing higher persistence), extraction method (hot extraction releasing more pyrrolizidine alkaloids), and soil properties such as pH, organic matter, and cation exchange capacity, which affected sorption and mobility. These findings underscore the significance of soil composition in controlling PA mobility and associated environmental risks. Future research should focus on long-term PA persistence across diverse soil types and investigate crop uptake potential and microbial degradation pathways under field conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxic Plant-Derived Metabolites)
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