In order to demonstrate the great potential of plant biofactories for multiple applications in the biotechnological production of pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, this review broadly covers the following: plant biofactories based on cell and hairy root cultures; secondary metabolite production; biotransformation reactions; metabolic engineering tools applied in plant biofactories; and biopharmaceutical production.
Centella asiatica (L.) Urban plants have been used since ancient times for their medicinal properties, and their extracts have proven antioxidant, wound healing, sedative, and neuroprotective activities, among others. The natural compounds responsible for C. asiatica bioactivity are triterpene saponins formed from the dammarene branch of the triterpene biosynthetic pathway, collectively known as centellosides, with madecassoside and asiaticoside and their aglycones, madecassic acid and asiatic acid being the most important. Several biotechnological approaches have been developed for the bioproduction of centellosides, based on cell, hairy root, and in vitro plant cultures. This review summarizes the main therapeutic properties of these compounds, as well as their biosynthetic pathways, referring to genetic studies that have identified genes involved in their formation. The biotechnological production of centellosides from a small scale to bioreactor level is also covered. Finally, we summarize the most effective strategies for increasing centelloside yield, including recent transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies that have gained new insights into the centelloside biosynthetic pathway and its control.
Background: Given the considerable role played by Salmonella in the incidence of food contamination, around the world, surveillance of this infection is prioritized by both food producers and health care authorities. Data remains insufficient concerning the prevalence of Salmonella in poultry systems in Ecuador and in Latin America in general. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the presence and diversity of Salmonella serovars in samples taken from 21 layer farms and backyard layers in central Ecuador during August-November 2017. Salmonella was isolated following standardized methods (ISO 6579) and the serovar determination was carried out by PCR. Results: A significant presence of Salmonella was detected in the 21 farms evaluated, with a frequency of 76% (95% confidence interval (CI): 53-92) in environmental surfaces, 33% (95%CI: 15-57) in pooled cloacal swabs from layer hens, 33% (95% CI: 13–59) on feed samples, and 10% (95%CI: 1-30) in backyard layer feces from traditional local markets. The dominant serovars detected were S. Infantis and S. Typhimurium. Conclusions: This study forms a basis for further surveillance of Salmonella serovars in layer farms in central Ecuador.
The anticancer compound podophyllotoxin and other related lignans can be produced in Linum album in vitro cultures, although their biosynthesis varies according to the degree of differentiation of the plant material. In general, L. album cell cultures do not form the same lignans as roots or other culture systems. Our aim was to explore how the lignan-producing capacity of organogenic cell masses is affected by the conditions that promote their formation and growth. Thus, L. album biomass obtained from plantlets was cultured in darkness or light, with or without the addition of plant growth regulators, and the levels of podophyllotoxin, methoxypodophyllotoxin and other related lignans were determined in each of these conditions. The organogenic capacity of the cell biomass grown in the different conditions was studied directly and also with light and scanning electronic microscopy, leading to the observation of.several somatic embryos and well-formed shoots. The main lignan produced was methoxypodophyllotoxin, whose production was clearly linked to the organogenic capacity of the cell biomass, which to a lesser extent was also the case for podophyllotoxin.
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