The rise in global temperature also favors the multiplication of pests and pathogens, which calls into question global food security. Plants have developed special coping mechanisms since they are sessile and lack an immune system. These mechanisms use a variety of secondary metabolites as weapons to avoid obstacles, adapt to their changing environment, and survive in less-than-ideal circumstances. Plant secondary metabolites include phenolic compounds, alkaloids, glycosides, and terpenoids, which are stored in specialized structures such as latex, trichomes, resin ducts, etc. Secondary metabolites help the plants to be safe from biotic stressors, either by repelling them or attracting their enemies, or exerting toxic effects on them. Modern omics technologies enable the elucidation of the structural and functional properties of these metabolites along with their biosynthesis. A better understanding of the enzymatic regulations and molecular mechanisms aids in the exploitation of secondary metabolites in modern pest management approaches such as biopesticides and integrated pest management. The current review provides an overview of the major plant secondary metabolites that play significant roles in enhancing biotic stress tolerance. It examines their involvement in both indirect and direct defense mechanisms, as well as their storage within plant tissues. Additionally, this review explores the importance of metabolomics approaches in elucidating the significance of secondary metabolites in biotic stress tolerance. The application of metabolic engineering in breeding for biotic stress resistance is discussed, along with the exploitation of secondary metabolites for sustainable pest management.

In recent years, the global agricultural system has been unfavorably impacted by adverse environmental changes. These changes in the climate, in turn, have altered the abiotic conditions of plants, affecting plant growth, physiology and production. Abiotic stress in plants is one of the main obstacles to global agricultural production and food security. Therefore, there is a need for the development of novel approaches to overcome these problems and achieve sustainability. Nanotechnology has emerged as one such novel approach to improve crop production, through the utilization of nanoscale products, such as nanofertilizer, nanofungicides, nanoherbicides and nanopesticides. Their ability to cross cellular barriers makes nanoparticles suitable for their application in agriculture. Since they are easily soluble, smaller, and effective for uptake by plants, nanoparticles are widely used as a modern agricultural tool. The implementation of nanoparticles has been found to be effective in improving the qualitative and quantitative aspects of crop production under various biotic and abiotic stress conditions. This review discusses various abiotic stresses to which plants are susceptible and highlights the importance of the application of nanoparticles in combating abiotic stress, in addition to the major physiological, biochemical and molecular-induced changes that can help plants tolerate stress conditions. It also addresses the potential environmental and health impacts as a result of the extensive use of nanoparticles.

Essential oils are hydrophobic liquids produced as secondary metabolites by specialized secretory tissues in the leaves, seeds, flowers, bark and wood of the plant, and they play an important ecological role in plants. Essential oils have been used in various traditional healing systems due to their pharmaceutical properties, and are reported to be a suitable replacement for chemical and synthetic drugs that come with adverse side effects. Thus, currently, various plant sources for essential oil production have been explored. Coriander essential oil, obtained from the leaf and seed oil of Coriandrum sativum, has been reported to have various biological activities. Apart from its application in food preservation, the oil has many pharmacological properties, including allelopathic properties. The present review discusses the phytochemical composition of the seed and leaf oil of coriander and the variation of the essential oil across various germplasms, accessions, at different growth stages and across various regions. Furthermore, the study explores various extraction and quantification methods for coriander essential oils. The study also provides detailed information on various pharmacological properties of essential oils, such as antimicrobial, anthelmintic, insecticidal, allelopathic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticonvulsive, antidepressant, and hepatoprotective properties, as well as playing a major role in maintaining good digestive health. Coriander essential oil is one of the most promising alternatives in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder marked by the gradual loss of motor neurons, leading to significant disability and eventual death. Despite ongoing research, there are still limited treatment options, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of the disease’s complex mechanisms and the identification of new therapeutic targets. This review provides a thorough examination of ALS, covering its epidemiology, pathology, and clinical features. It investigates the key molecular mechanisms, such as protein aggregation, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and excitotoxicity that contribute to motor neuron degeneration. The role of biomarkers is highlighted for their importance in early diagnosis and disease monitoring. Additionally, the review explores emerging therapeutic approaches, including inhibitors of protein aggregation, neuroinflammation modulators, antioxidant therapies, gene therapy, and stem cell-based treatments. The advantages and challenges of these strategies are discussed, with an emphasis on the potential for precision medicine to tailor treatments to individual patient needs. Overall, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of ALS research and suggest future directions for developing effective therapies.

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal., commonly referred to as Ashwagandha, is a medicinal plant from the solanaceae family with a wide range of pharmacological properties. W. somnifera is a rich source of withanolides, such as withanolide A, withanolide B, withanolide D, withaferin A, etc. and these molecules are attributed for large number of pharmacological activities. In the present study, the impact of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) has been assessed on the growth, biochemical parameters, antioxidant activity and withanolide A and withaferin A content of W. somnifera. The seeds of W. somnifera were germinated in cocopeat treated with different concentrations of Cd (0–200 ppm), Hg (10–100 ppm), and Pb (0–2000 ppm) for 21 days. There have been substantial differences between the heavy metal-treated plants and the control plants with the lowest germination of 20% has been observed in the plants treated with 2000 ppm Pb. The selected metals inhibited vegetative growth with lowest length of 3.07 cm and lowest biomass of 0.74 g in 180 ppm Cd and 200 ppm Cd treated plants respectively. With the addition of heavy metals, biochemical parameters like protein, carbohydrate, chlorophyll, total phenol, flavonoid, and proline content varied significantly and showed metal tolerance by exhibiting antioxidant activity at lower concentrations. The metal accumulation occurred in a dose-dependent manner with highest Cd accumulation of 14.30 mg kg?1, Hg accumulation of 42.45 mg kg?1, and Pb accumulation of 217.46 mg kg?1 of dry biomass of the plants. The withanolide content increased up to a specific metal concentration and decreased with a further increase in heavy metal concentration. The seeds treated with 1200 ppm of Pb showed the highest withanolide A content of 1.7 mg g?1 DW, and the seeds treated with 80 ppm of Cd showed the highest withaferin A content of 3.2 mg g?1 DW.