Prosopis juliflora: Phytochemical,
Toxicological, and Allelochemicals
22
Gabriel Azevedo de Brito Damasceno, Augusto Lopes Souto,
Ivanice Bezerra da Silva, Alan de Araújo Roque, Márcio Ferrari, and
Raquel Brandt Giordani
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
2 Prosopis juliflora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
2.1 Allelochemicals from Prosopis juliflora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
3 Future Directions and Prospect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Abstract
Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae), which is also known as mesquite, is particularly
invasive in exotic environments and has become one of the world’s 100 most
invasive species that is globally distributed. This scenario is mainly due to the
allelochemicals released by its roots, leaves, and fruits that inhibit seed germination of neighboring species. Therefore, ecosystem-level changes create monospecific stands and impair the chemistry and biophysical properties of soil. The
metabolites from Prosopis juliflora with allelopathic properties result from two
major biosynthetic pathways: shikimic acid metabolites and piperidine alkaloids.
Several Prosopis species have substantial impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem
services, and local and regional economies in their native terrain; others provide
multiple benefits to local communities. Overall, P. juliflora has demonstrated to
G. A. de Brito Damasceno · A. L. Souto · I. B. da Silva · M. Ferrari · R. B. Giordani (*)
Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN),
Natal, Brazil
e-mail: damasceno.gab@outlook.com; augustosouto@gmail.com; ivanicebsilva@gmail.com;
ferrarimarcio@uol.com.br; raquebg@hotmail.com
A. d. A. Roque
Natal, Brazil
e-mail: alan.ufrn@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J.-M. Mérillon, K. G. Ramawat (eds.), Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Reference Series in Phytochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96397-6_15
521
Toxicological, and Allelochemicals
22
Gabriel Azevedo de Brito Damasceno, Augusto Lopes Souto,
Ivanice Bezerra da Silva, Alan de Araújo Roque, Márcio Ferrari, and
Raquel Brandt Giordani
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
2 Prosopis juliflora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
2.1 Allelochemicals from Prosopis juliflora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
3 Future Directions and Prospect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Abstract
Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae), which is also known as mesquite, is particularly
invasive in exotic environments and has become one of the world’s 100 most
invasive species that is globally distributed. This scenario is mainly due to the
allelochemicals released by its roots, leaves, and fruits that inhibit seed germination of neighboring species. Therefore, ecosystem-level changes create monospecific stands and impair the chemistry and biophysical properties of soil. The
metabolites from Prosopis juliflora with allelopathic properties result from two
major biosynthetic pathways: shikimic acid metabolites and piperidine alkaloids.
Several Prosopis species have substantial impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem
services, and local and regional economies in their native terrain; others provide
multiple benefits to local communities. Overall, P. juliflora has demonstrated to
G. A. de Brito Damasceno · A. L. Souto · I. B. da Silva · M. Ferrari · R. B. Giordani (*)
Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN),
Natal, Brazil
e-mail: damasceno.gab@outlook.com; augustosouto@gmail.com; ivanicebsilva@gmail.com;
ferrarimarcio@uol.com.br; raquebg@hotmail.com
A. d. A. Roque
Natal, Brazil
e-mail: alan.ufrn@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J.-M. Mérillon, K. G. Ramawat (eds.), Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Reference Series in Phytochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96397-6_15
521