Strukturelle Beziehungen zwischen pflanzlichen und tierischen Sekundärstoffen

A series of structurally identical or related compounds has been detected in plants and animals, especially in the arthropods. Being simple but also complex structures of terpenoids, alkaloids and some glycosides, these compounds must be regarded as secondary products. Some of these compounds are sequestered by animals from the plants but identical or closely related structures are also produced by animals. In many cases it has not been proven convincingly whether these compounds are sequestered or self synthesized by the animals. The present paper gives an overview on these substances also regarding their biological significance for animals.