Primary metabolites are directly involved in normal growth, development and reproduction, and are essential for these processes. Examples include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Secondary metabolites are not directly involved in these processes but have important ecological functions, such as antibiotics. Secondary metabolites include mycotoxins, antibiotics, alkaloids, amino acids, steroids and vitamins. They are produced late in the growth cycle and provide benefits to the producing organism or disadvantages to surrounding organisms.

1. Primary and Secondary
Metabolites
PRESENTED BY:
MAULIK PATEL
MSc. Biochemistry
Roll no: 17
P-402

2. Presentation Overview
1) Introduction
2) History
3) What are metabolites ?
4) Primary metabolites
5) Secondary metabolites
6) Reference

3. Introduction
 Metabolites are the intermediates and products of
metabolism, are typically characterized by small
molecules with various functions.
 Metabolites can be categorized into
1) Primary metabolites.
2) secondary metabolites.

4.  The word metabolism is derived from the Greek word
“Metabolismos” or from the French word métabolisme.
 Metabolism and metabolic pathways have been studied over
several centuries and has moved from examining whole animals
in early studies, to examining individual metabolic reactions in
modern biochemistry and molecular biology.
History

5. What are metabolites ?
 Metabolites are the intermediates & products of metabolism.
 The term metabolite is usually restricted to small molecules.
 Aprimary metabolite is directly involved in the normal growth,
development, and reproduction.
Examples:1.Carbohydrates 2.Proteins 3.Lipids
4.Nucleic acids
 Asecondary metabolite is not directly involved in those processes,
but usually has important ecological function.
Examples include antibiotics, mycotoxins etc.

6.  primary metabolites are involved in maintaining normal
physiological processes thus, it is often referred to as a
central metabolite.
 Essential for proper growth, development,
and reproduction.
 Examples include alcohols such as ethanol, lactic
acid.
Primary Metabolites

7.  Aspergillus niger is used in industrial microbiology for
mass production of citric acid. (primary metabolite).

8.  Secondary metabolites is a term for pathways for small
molecule and products of metabolism that are not absolutely
required for the survival of the organism.
 Asecondary metabolite has an important ecological function.
 Examples include antibiotics, mycotoxins etc.
They are classified on the basis of
1. chemical structure
2. chemical composition
3. solubility in various solvents
4. pathways by which they are synthsized
Secondary Metabolites

9. Why secondary metabolites are
of no use to the organism ?
 Because they are
synthesized late in growth
cycle in stationary phase
(idiophase).
 Secondary metabolites are structurally
diverse low molecular mass molecules
that are not essential for the growth and
survival of the producing organisms.
 Secondary metabolite serve to increase
the fitness of the producing organisms
and to decrease the fitness of
surrounding organisms.
 Metabolites play a role in regulation
and process of sporulation
Secondary Metabolites

10. Secondary metabolites are derived from
Primary metabolites

11. Categories of secondary metabolites
Major categories of secondary metabolites
1) Mycotoxins
2) Antibiotics
3) Alkaloids
4) Amino acids
5) Steroids
6) Vitamins

12. Difference between primary and secondary
metabolites
Primary metabolites Secondary metabolites
They are involved in normal growth,
development and reproduction.
They are not directly involved in
the normal growth, development
and reprodµction.
Examples for primary metabolites
are carbohydrates , fats and
proteins.
Examples for secondary
metabolites are alkaloids, tannis,
resins, gums
and latex etc.
They are not poisonous. Some of these compounds are
poisonous.

13. Mycotoxins
 Mycotoxins refer to the toxic secondary metabolites.
 They are neither necessary for growth nor the development of the fungi.
 Some of these very severe effects on animal, plant and microbial system
(fungal food poisoning- mycointoxication).
 Symptoms of a mycotoxicosis depend on:
 The type of mycotoxin
 The concentration
 As well as age
 Health
 And sex of the exposed individual

14. Crops getting infected are as follows

15. Antibiotics
 The term ‘antibiotic’was coined by selman waksman in
1942.
 The secondary metabolites isolated from microbes and
exhibits either antimicrobial(antibacterial, antifungal,
antiprotozoal), antitumor and antiviral activities used to
be called as antibiotics.
 It is used to treat infections caused by microorganisms,
including fungi and protozoa.

16. Antibiotics
 Penicillin
 Cephalosporins
 Streptomycin
 Griseofulvin

17. 1.Penicillin
 Penicillin is a secondary metabolite or idiolite ; not required for
growth of fungus.
 Production of fungal biomass occurs in growth phase called
trophophase.
 Accumulation of penicillin occurs in idiophase.
 Its production only begins after near exhaustion of carbon source.
 High levels of glucose repress penicillin production.

18. 2. Cephalosporins
 Cephalosporin are a group of broad spectrum ,semi-synthetic β-lactam
antibiotics derived from the mould Cephalosporium acremonium.
 They are divided into some groups-cephalosporin N and C are
chemically related to penicillins and cephalosporin

19. 3.Streptomycin
 Discovered by selman waksman.
 Streptomycin is a secondary metabolite produced by streptomyces
griseus an actinobacterium.
 Used in treatment of diseases; infective endocarditis, tuberculosis,
tularemia, in veterinary medicine for use against gram negative bacteria
in large animals.

20. 4. Griseofulvin
 Griseofulvin also known as Grisovin is an antifungal drug that
is administered orally.
 It is derived from the mould Penicillium griseofulvum and streptomyces
griseus .
 It is used both in animals and in humans, to treat fungal infections of the
skin and nails.

21. Alkaloids
 Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical
compounds which mostly contain nitrogen atoms.
 Beside carbon and hydrogen molecules of alkaloids may contain-
• Sulfur
• Rarely chlorine
• Bromine Or phosphorus

22. Alkaloids being cosidered here are:
• Ergotamine
• Oxaline
• Paramine

23.  Asteroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings
arranged in a specific molecular configuration
 Rhizopus arrhizus :- hydrolytes progesterone forming another steroid
with introduction of oxygen.
 Cunnighamella blakesleeana :- can hydroxylate steroid cortexolome to
form hydrocortisone.
 Rhizopus nigricans :- numerous similar transformations are carried out
to produce various steroid derivatives for medicinal uses.
Steroids

24. Vitamins are secondary metabolites
VITAMINS CULTURE
RIBOFLAVIN (B2) Ashbya gossypii
L-SORBOSE Gluconobacter oxidans
VITAMIN B12 Propionibacterium shermanii,
Streptomycin, Aureomycin.

25. AMINOACID CULTURE
Tryptophan Escherichia coli
Threonine Streptomyces
racemosus
Phenyl alanine Corynebacterium
glutamicus
Amino acids are secondary metabolites

26. References
 Principles of microbiology, by ronald atlas
 Atext book of basic and applied microbiology,
K R aneja , pranay jain , raman aneja
 Web sources
 Wikipedia