Research progress of P450 in the biosynthesis of bioactive compound of medicinal plants

Most of the active ingredients of herbs are secondary metabolites of plants. Cytochrome P450s (P450s) are hemoglobin-containing monooxygenases encoded by a super-gene family, which play important roles in the metabolic network of plants. This review focuses on the role of P450s on biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids and phenylpropanoids. This will provide references for biosynthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants.