Biotechnology for Medicinal Plants Micropropagation and Improvement [Paperback]

Plant-based medicines play an important role in all cultures, and have been indispensable in maintaining health and combating diseases. The identification of active principles and their molecular targets from traditional medicine provides an enormous opportunity for drug development. Using modern biotechnology, plants with specific chemical compositions can be mass propagated and genetically improved for the extraction of bulk active pharmaceuticals. Although there has been significant progress in the use of biotechnology, using tissue cultures and genetic transformation to investigate and alter pathways for the biosynthesis of target metabolites, there are many challenges involved in bringing plants from the laboratory to successful commercial cultivation. This book presents the latest advances in the development of medicinal drugs, including topics such as plant tissue cultures, secondary metabolite production, metabolomics, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics and future biotechnological directions.

The internationally renowned authors contributing to this collection present the latest advances in the biotechnological development of medicines, covering topics such as plant tissue cultures, secondary metabolite production, metabolomics, and bioinformatics.

Downstream Processes for Plant Cell and Tissue Culture.- Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated transformation in medicinal plants: Prospects and challenges.- Scutellaria: Biotechnology, Phytochemistry and its Potential as a Commercial Medicinal Crop.- Microbial Endophytes: Progress and Challenges.- Cannabis sativa L.: Propagation for phytocannabinoids and biotechnology.- Epilobium Sp. (Willow Herb): Micropropagation and Production of Secondary Metabolites.- Photoelicitation of bioactive secondary metabolites by ultraviolet radiation: mechanisms, strategies and applications.- Advances in Microspore culture technology: A biotechnological tool for the improvement of medicilҼ