Research progress in glandular trichomes of medicinal plants / 中草药

ABSTRACT

On the surfaces of plants, there are many small protrusions of epidermal origin-trichomes. Trichomes are normally divided into two general categories non-glandular and glandular. Glandular trichomes, an important secretory tissue in plant, can synthesize a variety of secondary metabolites specially. In recent years, with the deepening of research on medicinal plants, the importance of glandular trichomes research has been increasing prominent significance. A variety of medicinal ingredients were synthesized, modificated, and storaged in glandular trichomes. The growth situation of glandular trichomes can directly affect the quality of medicinal materials. Here we provide an update on the methods and technologies which have been used to investigate glandular trichomes. In additon, we also review the literature on the structure, biochemistry, and gene regulatory of glandular trichomes.