Interactions Between Natural Herbicides and Lipid Bilayers Mimicking the Plant Plasma Membrane.

Natural phytotoxic compounds could become an alternative to traditional herbicides in the framework of sustainable agriculture. Nonanoic acid, sarmentine and sorgoleone are such molecules extracted from plants and able to inhibit the growth of various plant species. However, their mode of action is not fully understood and despite clues indicating that they could affect the plant plasma membrane, molecular details of such phenomenon are lacking.

Interaction between the barley allelochemical compounds gramine and hordenine and artificial lipid bilayers mimicking the plant plasma membrane.

Some plants affect the development of neighbouring plants by releasing secondary metabolites into their environment. This phenomenon is known as allelopathy and is a potential tool for weed management within the framework of sustainable agriculture. While many studies have investigated the mode of action of various allelochemicals (molecules emitted by allelopathic plants), little attention has been paid to their initial contact with the plant plasma membrane (PPM).