WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF ALKALOIDS

Functions of alkaloids in plants:

The possible functions of alkaloids in plants or the reason why they occur in plants can be assessed as follows.

1. They at as poisonous agents and protect the plants against insects and herbivores.

2. They may be the end products of detoxification reactions representing a metabolic locking up of compounds otherwise harmful to the plant.

3. They may act as regulatory growth factors.

4. They may be reserve substances, capable of supplying nitrogen or other substances.

5. In some cases alkaloids could provide means of storage or transportation of plant substances in soluble form.

6. Current research is demonstrating that the alkaloids do participate in plant metabolism but daily variation in alkaloidal contents (both qualitative & quantitative) shows that presence of alkaloids is not vital to the plant.

As they participate in metabolic sequences, they are not solely the waste end products of metabolism.

Important Nitrogen containing ring structures present in alkaloidal drugs.