Plant metabolites in nanotechnology: are we missing the link to stress resilience and sustainability?

Plant metabolites used in green nanoparticle synthesis are biologically active compounds whose functions may be retained or altered during nanoparticle formation, with important implications for plant stress resilience, plant-environment interactions, and environmental sustainability. Plant-derived metabolites are increasingly used in green nanoparticle synthesis, primarily for their reducing, capping, and stabilising properties. However, their biological functions within plants are rarely considered when evaluating nanoparticle-mediated effects on plant stress responses or environmental sustainability. This comment highlights a key mechanistic gap: whether the biological functions of plant metabolites are retained, modified, or lost following nanoparticle synthesis, and whether subsequent responses arise from nanoparticle properties, metabolite-derived surface chemistry, or their interactions. Recent evidence of physiological and rhizosphere responses to green-synthesised nanoparticles further underscores the need to resolve these relationships. Integrating plant metabolite function, physiology, and plant-environment interactions into nanotechnology research could provide a stronger biological basis for evaluating stress resilience and determining whether plant-derived nanomaterials can genuinely support environmental sustainability.