Cambial Meristematic Cells: A Sustainable Platform for the Production of Plant-Derived Anticancer Drugs

Abstract

For centuries, man has looked toward nature as a means to ameliorate a plethora of health conditions. Natural products (NPs), in particular those from plants, have proven to be a vital source of pharmaceuticals as in the case of the well-established anticancer drug, paclitaxel and the emerging ginsenoside triterpenoids. However, plant sources of high-value NPs can often be slow growing and are rarely domesticated and the target molecules are typically found in only low concentrations. Numerous strategies have been implemented for the production of these high-value molecules, including natural harvest from the source plant, total chemical synthesis or semi-synthesis from a more abundant precursor. Currently, plant cell culture arguably offers the most sustainable, robust, controllable and environmentally friendly platform to produce NPs for the pharmaceutical industry. In this context, the isolation of cambial meristematic cells (CMCs) and their potential utility to produce key anticancer drugs may serve to overcome some of the limitations previously associated with production of pharmaceuticals from traditional dedifferentiated plant cells (DDCs).