Most poisonous plants and their secondary metabolites

Abstract

U radu sam obradila osnovne značajke i sekundarne metabolite nekih od biljaka koje se nalaze na popisu najotrovnijih. Ono što ih čini takvima su upravo ti sintetizirani organski spojevi, a kako se njihovom obradom može smanjiti toksičnost i istaknuti nama korisne učinke, primjenjivane su u medicini drevnih naroda, a mogućnosti iskorištavanja istražuju se i danas. Brojni spojevi su izrazito opasni, pa se njihova primjena ograničava ili se uopće ne preporučuje. Nisu svi sekundarni metaboliti otrovni, a osim obrambene mogu imati razne druge uloge u biljkama i njihovim procesima. Zbog još nekih načina kojima se biljke štite, a koje su se evolucijski razvile kako bezopasne vrste ne bi ostale potpuno nezaštićene, poput mimikrije, odnosno sposobnosti takve vrste da izgledom oponaša opasnu, čovjek prilikom branja mora paziti kako ne bi napravio zamjenu i slučajno si naštetio.In this paper, I have dealt with basic features and secondary metabolites of some plants which are listed as the most poisonous on Earth. What makes them such are precisely their organic compounds. Due to the fact that man can reduce their toxicity through different treatments and highlight their beneficial effect, they were often used in medicine of the ancients, but the exploiting possibilities have been widely investigated today also. Many compounds are very dangerous, therefore their use is restricted or not recommended at all. Not all secondary metabolites are toxic, and except for defense, they can have variety of roles in plants and their processes. Because of some other ways that have developed evolutionary, such as mimicry, which is ability of harmless species to imitate the appearance of the dangerous one, harmless species are not left totally unprotected. Therefore one must be careful when picking plants, and do not make any mistakes in order not to accidentally hurt himself