[2] Solanesol is a non-cyclic terpene alcohol that consists of nine isoprene units and mainly accumulates in solanaceous plants such as tobacco, potato, and tomato.

[3] Solanesol possesses antimicrobial, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ulcer activities, and it serves as an important pharmaceutical intermediate for the synthesis of coenzyme Q10, vitamin K2, and N-solanesyl-N,N′-bis(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl) ethylenediamine (SDB).

[3] The anti-cancer agent synergizer SDB allows P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance in cancer cells to be overcome, and has synergistic effects with certain anti-tumor drugs.

[3] Solanesol serves an important role in the interactions between plants and their environment, and it is a key intermediate for the pharmaceutical synthesis of ubiquinone-based supplements and drugs.

[3] Genome sequencing of solanaceous plants such as tobacco, potato, and tomato has paved the way for deeper studies on the metabolic regulation of solanesol biosynthesis.

[3] Moreover, overexpression of key enzymatic genes will allow tobacco plants with high solanesol content to be obtained, with significant importance for medical applications.

[3] Microbial heterologous expression of key tobacco enzymatic genes may be used to identify their function and to generate solanesol derivatives of medicinal value.