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Journal of Plant Sciences

Year: 2010 | Volume: 5 | Issue: 3 | Page No.: 222-247
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Authors

K. Shilpa

K. Varun

B.S. Lakshmi

Keywords

Research Article

An Alternate Method of Natural Drug Production: Elciting Secondary Metabolite Production Using Plant Cell Culture

K. Shilpa, K. Varun and B.S. Lakshmi
Plant cells are factories of chemical compounds produced for carrying out biochemical pathways of survival and propagation. Primary metabolism involves biochemical processes for normal anabolic and catabolic pathways which results in assimilation, respiration, transport and differentiation whereas secondary metabolism involves generation of by-products which are the main defense elements of plants against pathogens, herbivore attacks and physical stress such as UV radiation. The secondary metabolites are plant pigments (such as alkaloids, isoprenoids etc.) responsible for the colors, flavors and smell in plants which also act as a source of drugs, fine chemicals, insecticides, dyes, flavours and fragrances. Plant derived secondary metabolites have played an essential role as medicine for thousands of years. Currently, secondary metabolites with bioactivity are being isolated and used either directly or after chemical modification. Their pharmacological value is increasing due to the constant discoveries of their potential roles in healthcare and as lead compounds for new drug development. This review highlights and discusses ways of improving the production of plant secondary metabolites and also focuses on plant cell culture which is considered as a promising alternative for producing bioactive compounds that are difficult to be obtained by chemical synthesis or plant extraction. It would be appropriate to consider the properties of plant cells in culture, in particular the relationship between growth and the expression of the pathways leading to the synthesis of secondary metabolites.
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