Translational Research for Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Herbal therapies are gaining popularity globally with an all-inclusive approach among the common people. Plants of therapeutics, nutraceuticals and clinical importance possess a diverse spectrum of bioactive substances that include primary and secondary metabolites, viz. phytohormones, polyamines, vitamins, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, and so on, depending on their physiological and developmental stage. However, such plants of immense therapeutic value have considerable challenges in terms of access to high-quality raw materials and accurate verification. For the production of essential bioactive metabolites in vitro, a plant tissue culture technique is a viable approach. Several elicitors that affect cellular activities at the biochemical and molecular levels are employed to modulate bioactive substances’ upregulation in vitro. These elicitors activate signal transduction pathways, triggering transcriptional activation of genes involved in the synthesis of a range of plant metabolites and related proteins. It is also possible to regulate the key enzyme genes of the biosynthetic pathway of the plant to enhance a particular plant metabolite. Through cloning, characterization and functional analysis of different key enzymes and related genes involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds in various medicinal plants, metabolites enhancement can be achieved in vitro. Through adequate information on the regulatory and biosynthetic pathways, genetic engineering strategies can cause in vitro enhancement of plant metabolites. The “Omics” processes of bioinformatics, cheminformatics, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics through an integrated approach provide a better understanding of system biology and metabolite synthesis in plants. A variety of plants display bioefficacy activity against various diseases. The overall utility of medicinal plants has led to their improved usage, which can be ensured through a proper drug regulatory authority for adequate safety, quality and efficacy of herbal medicines. This brief review focuses on the in vitro biosynthesis, elicitation and upregulation of secondary metabolites, the role of integrative omics approaches and the prospects of herbal-based clinical practices.