The diversity of secondary compounds in the plant kingdom is huge. About 200,000 compounds are known, which are grouped into amines, non-protein amino acids, peptides, alkaloids, glucosinolates, cyanogenic glucosides, organic acids, terpenoids, quinones, polyacetylenes, and phenolics. The group of phenolic compounds consists of polyphenols, oligophenols and monophenols or simple phenolic compounds such as benzoic and cinnamic acids and their hydroxylated derivatives. Among the thousands of compounds present in ecological interactions, simple phenolic acids are the most abundant in soils, and many are described as allelochemicals. Given the physiological and biochemical importance of these compounds, we review their biosynthesis and metabolic actions in plants.

植物界中次生化合物的多样性是巨大的。已知约有20万种化合物，分为胺类，非蛋白质氨基酸，肽，生物碱，芥子油苷，氰基葡萄糖苷，有机酸，萜类化合物，醌，聚乙炔和酚类。酚类化合物包括多酚，低聚酚和单酚或简单的酚类化合物，例如苯甲酸和肉桂酸及其羟基化衍生物。在生态相互作用中存在的数千种化合物中，简单的酚酸在土壤中含量最高，其中许多被描述为化感物质。鉴于这些化合物的生理和生物化学重要性，我们综述了它们在植物中的生物合成和代谢作用。