Biotechnological Production of Bioactive Phytochemicals of Medicinal Value: A Comprehensive Treatise

Biotechnological Production of Bioactive Phytochemicals of Medicinal Value: A Comprehensive Treatise covers a broad variety of methods for secondary metabolites production (both pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals), compiling state-of-the-art material about the current knowledge of in vitro production for a large number of bioactive phytochemicals. Plants are a source of bioactive compounds and specialty chemicals such as ginsenosides; paclitaxel, artemisinin, veregen and nutraceuticals. Biopharmaceuticals are important in human healthcare, and herbal actives are gaining importance all over the world. With natural resources dwindling, in vitro production of secondary compounds on a commercial scale is being more and more required.

Besides providing an alternative technology to bypass difficulties, the plant tissue culture (used in a broad sense to include cell, tissue, and organ culture) offers many advantages. In vitro technology also facilitates novel means of conserving the genetic diversity of the germplasm of medicinal plants through cryopreservation, production of novel compounds through biotransformation, somatic hybridization, and selective gene transfer through recombinant DNA technology for enhancing metabolite production.