Secondary metabolites production through biotechnological intervention: A Review

The plants used in the phyto-pharmaceutical preparations are obtained mainly from the natural growing areas. With the increasing demand for the crude drugs, the plants are being overexploited, threatening the survival of many rare species. In addition, agriculture land decreasing day by day due to the real estate, industrialization, and roads for the betterment of human beings. To maintain the required demand of the important secondary metabolites and their sources; several research institutions and pharmaceutical industries using advanced biotechnological tools, this includes culturing of plant cells, genetic manipulation aiming to restore the germplasm, insertion of interest of genes for the production of important active principle. The present review article covering the in vitro micropropagation and production of selected secondary metabolites through biotechnological intervention viz. Alliin, Artimisnin, Podophyllotoxin, and Taxol.