Defining Diversity in Diterpenoids in the genus Coleus: mining phylogeny for medicinal applications

Plants have provided key pharmaceuticals and are valued as traditional medicines, but their untapped potential as sources of medicines remains largly unexplored. This project will explore species of the closely related tropical plant genera Plectranthus and Coleus (Lamiaceae), which have been used extensively as medicinal plants affecting diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems, and have shown anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. Many species in these groups have not been assessed for their potential medicinal value, nor for the occurrence and distribution of biologically active diterpenoids.
Limited knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of diterpenoids is impeding further research on the diversity and evolution of diterpenoids, and the scientific basis for the medicinal uses of Coleus and Plectranthus species and their constituents.
The project will address these knowledge gaps by mining the phylogenetic diversity of Coleus for new medicinals. Species will be selected, to uncover the breadth of biosynthetic pathways involved in synthesising bioactive chemicals (diterpenoids), and shed light on their current and potential medicinal uses. This new knowledge will provide further evidence for the value of biodiversity and unlock incentives for the conservation and sustainable management of plants, thus aligning with strategies to prevent biodiversity loss.