Contribution of Biotechnological Tools in the Enhancement of Secondary Metabolites in Selected Medicinal Climbers

Abstract

Plants by nature protect themselves by producing secondary metabolites which often have pronounced bioactivities. The presence of these metabolites is responsible for the active interaction of plants with their environment defending themselves against a variety of herbivores and pathogenic microorganisms as well as various kinds of abiotic stresses. Climber plants contain large number of useful secondary metabolites. Besides their pharmacological role, secondary metabolites also contain some other properties. Artabotrys hexapetalus , a climbing herb, secretes oil which is used in perfume industry. Capparis zeylanica is a thorny stout climbing shrub, used in the treatment of snake bite and to cure small pox, cholera, etc. Stem barks and roots of Tinospora cordifolia , a woody climber, are used in dysentery and diarrhoea. Toddalia asiatica , an evergreen climber, produced nitidine secondary metabolite which contains anti-HIV and antimalarial and anticancerous properties, but its production is not enough for commercial supply. Tissue culture technology has emerged as a supplementary branch to fulfi l demands for this valuable secondary metabolite. Various in vitro methods for enhancement of secondary metabolites are available such as hairy root culture, treatment of elicitors and use of precursors and introduction of any foreign gene via bacterial transformation.Current progresses have been made in the fi eld of molecular biology through the alteration in metabolic skeleton of plant secondary metabolism. With the use of various genes (involved in the synthesis of enzymes and their regulatory proteins), diverse pathways have been traced and being transformed. Antisense technology has been emerged as an additional alternative for enhancement of secondary metabolites. In Tylophora indica enhancement in kaempferol, an antioxidant compound was observed by using precursors like salicylic acid, ornithine, cinnamic acid, tyrosine and phenylalanine. The total dry weight of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde was enhanced in hairy root cultures of Decalepis hamiltonii . The present chapter provides an insight on the use of biotechnological techniques for the enhancement of secondary metabolites in medicinal climbers.

Analyses of Bioactive Compounds of Pegagan (Centella Asiatica (L.) Urb) from Samosir – Indonesia Accession

“…Limited commercial cultivation of Pegagan only provides a fraction of the market demands and is still hampered by problems of inconsistent quantity and bioactive compounds quality. Therefore, large-scale cultivation and maintaining the uniform quality of the plant's bioactive compounds are the main priority [18], [19].…”

Pegagan (Centella asiatica) as a functional food for health with centelloside content

“…The use of Pegagan (Centella asiatica) medicinal plants is very real, while the conservation efforts are very limited so that the influence is much smaller if compared to the existing needs. It occurs because of a lack of community support [3]. The Pegagan (Centella asiatica) has not experienced domestication.…”