Question

How are secondary metabolites useful to human welfare? Give two examples of it.

Answer 1

Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism. A secondary metabolite is not directly involved in those processes but usually has an important ecological function. Examples include antibiotics and pigments. Some antibiotics use primary metabolites as precursors, such as actinomycin which is created from the primary metabolite, tryptophan.

If one wants to make a list of biomolecules, such a list will have thousands of organic compounds including amino acids, sugars etc. These are called primary metabolites.

However, when one analyses plant, fungal and microbial cells, one will see thousands of compounds, eg., alkaloids, flavonoids, rubber, essential oils, antibiotics, colored pigments, scents, gums, spices. These are called secondary metabolites.