Biotechnological Studies of Medicinal Plants to Enhance Production of Secondary Metabolites under Environmental Pollution

Abstract

Secondary metabolites have been exploited extensively from ancient times, owing to their pharmacological properties. The synthesis and accumulation of these metabolites in plants depend on many external and internal factors, chief among them being environmental factors such as water, light, temperature, and salinity. Environmental pollution and climate change are interrelated and influence each other through complex interactions. The major abiotic stress factors likely to be increased by climate change are drought, heat, salinity, and waterlogging. Furthermore, studies have reported the role of biotic and abiotic stress factors in altering the secondary metabolism of plants. Thus, various stress factors have been widely used as elicitors to induce the production of the different classes of secondary metabolites. Several biotechnological approaches – for instance, plant tissue culture, recombinant DNA technology, and metabolic engineering – have been used to keep pace with the increasing demand for plant-derived drugs. Chapter 10 provides an overview of the effects of different abiotic stresses on the synthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites and how biotechnological techniques can be exploited to increase their quality and quantity in plants.