Secondary plant metabolites (SPMEs) play an important role in plant survival in the environment and serve to establish ecological relationships between plants and other organisms. Communication between plants and microorganisms via SPMEs contained in root exudates or derived from litter decomposition is an example of this phenomenon. In this review, the general aspects of rhizodeposition together with the significance of terpenes and phenolic compounds are discussed in detail. We focus specifically on the effect of SPMEs on microbial community structure and metabolic activity in environments contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Furthermore, a section is devoted to a complex effect of plants and/or their metabolites contained in litter on bioremediation of contaminated sites. New insights are introduced from a study evaluating the effects of SPMEs derived during decomposition of grapefruit peel, lemon peel, and pears on bacterial communities and their ability to degrade PCBs in a long-term contaminated soil. The presented review supports the "secondary compound hypothesis" and demonstrates the potential of SPMEs for increasing the effectiveness of bioremediation processes.

• Keywords
• bioremediation, carbon flow, community structure, secondary plant metabolites (SPMEs),
• MeSH
• Bacteria classification   isolation & purification   metabolism   MeSH
• Biodegradation, Environmental * MeSH
• Soil Pollutants chemistry   toxicity   MeSH
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls toxicity   MeSH
• Soil Microbiology * MeSH
• Plants metabolism   microbiology   MeSH
• Secondary Metabolism MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Soil Pollutants MeSH
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls MeSH

Neem hull waste (containing a high amount of lignin and other phenolic compounds) was used for lignin peroxidase production by Phanerochaete chrysosporum under solid-state fermentation conditions. Maximum decolorization achieved by partially purified lignin peroxidase was 80% for Porocion Brilliant Blue HGR, 83 for Ranocid Fast Blue, 70 for Acid Red 119 and 61 for Navidol Fast Black MSRL. The effects of different concentrations of veratryl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, enzyme and dye on the efficiency of decolorization have been investigated. Maximum decolorization efficiency was observed at 0.2 and 0.4 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide, 2.5 mmol/L veratryl alcohol and pH 5.0 after a 1-h reaction, using 50 ppm of dyes and 9.96 mkat/L of enzyme.

• MeSH
• Azadirachta MeSH
• Color MeSH
• Coloring Agents metabolism   MeSH
• Benzyl Alcohols metabolism   MeSH
• Biodegradation, Environmental MeSH
• Bioreactors MeSH
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration MeSH
• Culture Media MeSH
• Lignin metabolism   MeSH
• Peroxidases metabolism   MeSH
• Phanerochaete enzymology   MeSH
• Substrate Specificity MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Coloring Agents MeSH
• Benzyl Alcohols MeSH
• Culture Media MeSH
• lignin peroxidase MeSH Browser
• Lignin MeSH
• manganese peroxidase MeSH Browser
• Peroxidases MeSH
• veratryl alcohol MeSH Browser

White-rot fungi, Coriolus versicolor and Funalia trogii, produced laccase on media with diluted olive-oil mill wastewater and vinasse. Addition of spent cotton stalks enhanced the laccase activity with a maximum after 12 d of cultivation.

• MeSH
• Gossypium MeSH
• Culture Media MeSH
• Laccase MeSH
• Waste Products * MeSH
• Plant Oils MeSH
• Olive Oil MeSH
• Oxidoreductases metabolism   MeSH
• Polyporales metabolism   MeSH
• Industrial Waste * MeSH
• Agriculture * MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Culture Media MeSH
• Laccase MeSH
• Waste Products * MeSH
• Plant Oils MeSH
• Olive Oil MeSH
• Oxidoreductases MeSH
• Industrial Waste * MeSH

Agitation, temperature, inoculum size, initial pH and pH of buffered medium affected the decolorization of Orange II dye by Coriolus versicolor and Funalia trogii. The optimum temperature and initial pH value for decolorization were 30 degrees C and 6.5-7.0, respectively; pH 4.5 was the most efficient in buffered cultures. High decolorization extents were reached at all agitation rates. At an inoculum size of more than 1 mL, the extent of decolorization changed only slightly. High extents were obtained using immobilized fungi at repeated batch mode.

• MeSH
• Azo Compounds metabolism   MeSH
• Color MeSH
• Coloring Agents metabolism   MeSH
• Benzenesulfonates metabolism   MeSH
• Polyporales metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• 2-naphthol orange MeSH Browser
• Azo Compounds MeSH
• Coloring Agents MeSH
• Benzenesulfonates MeSH

Wastewater from olive oil mill was decolorized (and its chemical oxygen demand reduced in static cultivation) using the fungi Coriolus versicolor, Funalia trogii, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pleurotus sajor-caju. The effect of cotton stalk on decolorizing and COD removing capability was demonstrated. P. chrysosporium (in 20% medium with cotton stalk) reduced the COD by 48% and color by 58%, F. trogii (in 30% medium with cotton stalk)) by 51 and 55%, respectively.

• MeSH
• Color MeSH
• Biodegradation, Environmental MeSH
• Water Pollutants, Chemical isolation & purification   MeSH
• Gossypium MeSH
• Fungi metabolism   MeSH
• Oxygen MeSH
• Waste Disposal, Fluid MeSH
• Plant Oils * MeSH
• Olive Oil MeSH
• Phanerochaete metabolism   MeSH
• Pleurotus metabolism   MeSH
• Polyporales metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Water Pollutants, Chemical MeSH
• Oxygen MeSH
• Plant Oils * MeSH
• Olive Oil MeSH