Xenobiotic Metabolism in Higher Plants: In Vitro Tissue and Cell Culture Techniques

Abstract

Xenobiotic metabolism by plant tissue cultures are reviewed with an emphasis on pesticide metabolism. The results obtained with tissue culture techniques are evaluated and compared with results using whole plants. Some factors affecting metabolism studies with plant tissue culture techniques are also considered. Some advantages of the plant tissue culture techniques include: sterility, a rapidly growing homogenous tissue with low pigment content, moderate cost and space requirements, ease of duplication of treatment conditions, rapid uptake and metabolism of xenobiotics, and ease of isolation of metabolites. It offers the opportunity to mass produce desired metabolites as well as evaluate phytotoxicity or physiological changes of the plant tissue. Obvious disadvantages of this technique are its failure to evaluate such factors as: penetration, absorption, microorganisms, vascular transport and environmental influences. Other factors affecting xenobiotic metabolism by plant tissue cultures are: culture method, source of the tissue, method of treatment and concentration of xenobiotic, composition of medium and physiological age of tissue. Although quantitative and perhaps qualitative differences may be found, it is concluded that xenobiotic metabolism by plant tissue culture provides a useful approximation of metabolic pathways in intact plants.