İklim Kaynaklı Bitkisel Sekonder Metabolit Değişimleri: Tıbbi Kalite, Standardizasyon ve Terapötik Etkinlik Üzerine Etkileri

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 1 , 44 - 54 , 30.04.2026

Ufuk Kuşkun

https://doi.org/10.25279/sak.1895917

https://izlik.org/JA43GL22EA

Öz

Arka Plan: Sekonder metabolitler, milyonlarca yıllık bitki evrimi boyunca savunma, iletişim ve çevresel adaptasyon süreçlerini düzenlemek üzere ortaya çıkmış temel biyokimyasal ürünlerdir. Terpenoidler, fenolikler, alkaloidler ve poliketidler gibi bu bileşikler tarihsel olarak bitki–mikroorganizma ve bitki–herbivor etkileşimlerini şekillendirmiş; aynı zamanda insanlar için önemli farmakolojik özellikler kazanmıştır. Bununla birlikte günümüzde artan sıcaklıklar, yükselen atmosferik CO₂ düzeyleri, artmış UV-B radyasyonu ve giderek şiddetlenen kuraklık stresleri gibi küresel iklim dinamikleri, bu metabolitlerin biyosentezi, birikimi ve işlevsel çeşitlenmesi üzerinde kritik zorluklar ve fırsatlar yaratmaktadır.
Amaç: Bu derleme, bitkisel sekonder metabolizmanın tarihsel evrimsel geçişlerini sentezleyerek, güncel iklim değişikliğinin biyosentetik yolaklar ve tıbbi öneme sahip türlerdeki fitokimyasal profiller üzerindeki etkilerini mekanistik bir çerçevede değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Yöntem: 2015–2025 yılları arasında yayımlanan çalışmaları kapsayacak şekilde PubMed, Web of Science ve Scopus veri tabanlarında kapsamlı bir literatür taraması yapılmış; özellikle iklim kaynaklı biyokimyasal modülasyonları inceleyen deneysel çalışmalar, çoklu-omik yaklaşımlar ve metabolomik analizler önceliklendirilmiştir.
Bulgular: Bulgular, yükseltilmiş CO₂ düzeylerinin karbon akışını şikimat yoluna yönlendirerek fenolik ve flavonoid gibi karbon bazlı metabolitlerde artışa yol açtığını göstermektedir. Buna karşılık ısı stresi ve kuraklık, MYB, bHLH, WRKY ve NAC gibi transkripsiyon faktörlerinin ROS aracılı aktivasyonu yoluyla terpenoid ve alkaloid biyosentezinin belirgin şekilde artmasıyla ilişkilidir. Artmış UV-B maruziyeti, fotoprotektif bir uyum mekanizması olarak flavonoid birikimini sürekli biçimde teşvik etmektedir. Tür düzeyindeki analizler; Artemisia annua’da artemisinin, Tanacetum parthenium’da parthenolide, Ferula türlerinde seskiterpen laktonlar ve Mentha türlerinde uçucu yağ bileşenlerinde belirgin kaymalar olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu değişimlerin tamamı, tıbbi bitkilerden elde edilen terapötik ürünlerin farmakolojik etkinliği, standardizasyonu ve kalite kontrolü açısından doğrudan sonuçlar taşımaktadır.
Sonuç: Sekonder metabolit biyosentezi, doğası gereği dinamik olup küresel iklim parametrelerine yüksek duyarlılık göstermektedir. İklim–metabolit etkileşimlerinin moleküler, biyokimyasal ve ekolojik düzeylerde anlaşılması; fitokimyasal çeşitliliğin korunması, farmasötik standardizasyonun sağlanması ve iklim dayanıklı tıbbi bitki kaynaklarının geliştirilmesi açısından kritik önemdedir. Kontrollü ortam tarımı, genom düzenleme teknolojileri ve iklim–metabolit etkileşimine yönelik öngörücü modellerin entegrasyonu, hızlanan küresel iklim değişikliği koşullarında biyoaktif bileşik üretiminin sürdürülebilirliğini güvence altına almak için umut verici stratejiler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sekonder metabolitler , İklim değişikliği , Fitokimyasal standardizasyon , Tıbbi bitkiler , Abiyotik stres

Climate-Driven Modulation of Plant Secondary Metabolites: Implications for Medicinal Quality, Standardization, and Therapeutic Efficacy

https://izlik.org/JA43GL22EA

Öz

Background: Secondary metabolites are essential biochemical products that have emerged through millions of years of plant evolution to mediate defense, communication, and environmental adaptation. Historically, these compounds—such as terpenoids, phenolics, alkaloids, and polyketides—have shaped plant–microbe and plant–herbivore interactions, while simultaneously acquiring substantial pharmacological relevance for humans. However, current global climate dynamics, including rising temperatures, elevated atmospheric CO₂, increased UV-B radiation, and progressive drought stress, pose critical challenges and opportunities for the biosynthesis, accumulation, and functional diversification of these metabolites.
Aim: This narrative review synthesizes historical evolutionary transitions in plant secondary metabolism and provides an updated, mechanistic evaluation of how contemporary climate change alters biosynthetic pathways and phytochemical profiles across medicinally important species.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies published between 2015 and 2025, with emphasis on experimental, multi-omics, and metabolomics-based approaches evaluating climate-driven biochemical modulation in plants.
Results: Evidence indicates that elevated CO₂ concentrations tend to enhance carbon-based metabolites, particularly phenolics and flavonoids, by redirecting carbon flux toward the shikimate pathway. Conversely, heat stress and drought are strongly associated with upregulation of terpenoid and alkaloid biosynthesis through ROS-mediated activation of transcription factors such as MYB, bHLH, WRKY, and NAC. Increased UV-B exposure consistently promotes flavonoid accumulation as a photoprotective mechanism. Species-specific analyses reveal significant shifts in key metabolites: artemisinin in Artemisia annua, parthenolide in Tanacetum parthenium, sesquiterpene lactones in Ferula spp., and essential oil constituents in Mentha species. Collectively, these alterations hold direct consequences for pharmacological potency, standardization, and quality control of plant-derived therapeutics.
Conclusion: Secondary metabolite biosynthesis is intrinsically dynamic and highly sensitive to global climate parameters. Understanding climate–metabolite interactions at molecular, biochemical, and ecological levels is crucial for preserving phytochemical diversity, ensuring pharmaceutical standardization, and developing climate-resilient medicinal plant resources. Future strategies integrating controlled-environment agriculture, genome editing, and predictive climate–metabolite modelling may offer sustainable solutions to secure bioactive compound production under accelerating global climate change.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Secondary metabolites , Climate change , Phytochemical standardization , Medicinal plants , Abiotic stress

Kaynakça

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