Evidence mapPaperPMID 42328656Full record

ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2026

Enhancing secondary metabolite accumulation in medicinal plants to improve immunomodulatory activity.

Phumzile Mkhize, Vivian Morafo, Zukile Mbita

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Phumzile MkhizeDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa.
Vivian MorafoDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa.
Zukile MbitaDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite progress in enhancing secondary metabolite accumulation to support plant growth and stress tolerance, relatively few studies have established direct links between these increases and enhanced immunoregulatory outcomes in humans. Bridging this gap is essential for advancing pharmacological applications and the development of effective plant-based immune therapeutics. Unlike previous reviews that primarily focus on metabolite enhancement strategies in isolation, this review proposes an integrative translational framework linking plant metabolic reprogramming, metabolite bioavailability, and downstream human immunomodulatory relevance. This review evaluates genetic, biochemical, and ecological strategies used to enhance secondary metabolite accumulation in medicinal plants and assesses their potential to translate into immunomodulatory effects. The available evidence indicates that while elicitor- and biostimulant-based approaches consistently enhance metabolite accumulation, their translation into clinically relevant outcomes is constrained by factors such as bioavailability, metabolic stability, and dose-dependent effects. The review further highlights key limitations and knowledge gaps, emphasising the need for integrative and translational research frameworks to link plant metabolic enhancement with human immune outcomes.

Indexed as

biostimulantselicitorsimmunoregulatory potentialincreased accumulations of secondary metabolitesmedicinal plantsmetabolic synthesissecondary metabolites

Identifiers

PMID42328656
PMCPMC13279661

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.