In vitro production of alkaloids: Factors, approaches, challenges and prospects

Abstract

The wide diversity of plant secondary metabolites is largely used for the production of various pharmaceutical compounds. In vitro cell tissue or organ culture has been employed as a possible alternative to produce such industrial compounds. Tissue culture techniques provide continuous, reliable, and renewable source of valuable plant pharmaceuticals and might be used for the large-scale culture of the plant cells from which these secondary metabolites can be extracted. Alkaloids are one of the most important secondary metabolites known to play a vital role in various pharmaceutical applications leading to an increased commercial importance in recent years. The tissue culture techniques may be utilized to improve their production of alkaloids via somaclonal variations and genetic transformations. The focus of this review is toward the application of different tissue culture methods/techniques employed for the in vitro production of alkaloids with a systematic approach to improve their production.

Micropropagation of Viola uliginosa (Violaceae) for endangered species conservation and for somaclonal variation-enhanced cyclotide biosynthesis

“…The most valuable forms can then be selected and used to establish large-scale culture systems (suspension cell culture or organ culture in bioreactors, or as regenerated plants) for production of those compounds (Ahmad et al 2013;Bourgaud et al 2001;Rout et al 2000).…”

Ephedrine production from suspension cultures of Ephedra alata L. callus

“…They provide a pure continuous source of secondary metabolites independent of geographical or climatic conditions and within a short time period as compared to the extraction from wild plants (Gonçalves and Romano, 2018). In vitro culture systems act as an alternative method for the production of secondary metabolites, thereby conserving the natural sources (Ahmad et al, 2013). In addition to enabling the cultivation of many plants with products of high medicinal value, plant cell cultures are considered as a promising source for the sustainable production of pharmaceutically valuable secondary metabolites.…”

Production of reserpine of rauwolfia serpentina [L] kurz ex benth through in vitro culture enriched with plant growth regulators of NAA and kinetin

“…It is worthwhile to cultivate the plant to fulfill the increasing demand of reserpine and the promising option in the pharmaceutical world due to the presence of the significant chemical compounds in roots. [10] A study showed positive effect of Kinetin and NAA on callus induction and root formation in vitro grown with leaf explants if we use suitable concentrations of them, alone or in combination [11]; [12] NAA as growth regulator generates the growth of root, and maximum shoots grew from callus of explant inoculated in medium containing BAP [2.0 mg/L] plus NAA [0.5 mg /L] [1]. Reported that explant of R. serpentine grew in MS media supplemented with NAA [0.01 mg/L and BAP [0.5 mg/L] resulted in two buds in primary culture and four buds in subsequent sub-culture [13].…”