About this Research Topic
Throughout history human beings have resorted to plants to nourish and heal themselves. Plants synthetize numerous metabolites, also known as bioactive compounds, with beneficial properties for living organisms; these metabolites, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolics, have been demonstrated to have antioxidative, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. In recent years, secondary metabolites have gained the attention of several industrial sectors, such as the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agrochemical and food additives sectors, interested in extracting them on a large-scale basis. They are, however, incurring in a big supply problem due to the seasonal dependency and limited yield of these compounds; problems that could be overcome by resorting to biotechnologies, specifically, to plant tissue culture. These techniques guarantee, thanks to the adjustable growing conditions, a continuous and standardized production of the same metabolites synthetized in nature, with the further advantage of allowing the manipulation of the secondary metabolism through elicitation and precursor utilization.
The increasing demand for natural compounds has led to an important need to investigate alternative forms of supply, due to their limited availability in nature, strongly linked to the environmental plant growing conditions. Moreover, the exploitation of plants for bioactive compound extraction can lead to an impoverishment of biodiversity. Research activity in the last years has been focused on finding alternative sources of supplying bioactive compounds, and in vitro-derived plant material is one of the valid alternatives. Plant tissue culture allows, firstly, the synthesis and then, the extraction of natural bioactive compounds in a sustainable and efficient way.
This Research topic aims to gather publications focus on evaluating and optimizing biosynthetic pathways leading to the production of bioactive compounds in in vitro grown plant material. Moreover, in consideration of making vitro-derived plant material a valid and sustainable source of secondary metabolites, studies carried out on the individuation of green extraction techniques with a lower impact on the environment will be welcome. Finally, to give a complete overview on this subject, research on valid methods to scale up the production process and improve the cost-effectiveness of tissue culture are invited.
The scope of this topic encompasses a broad range of themes and issues:
• Overview of tissue culture techniques and their potential for producing natural bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolics.
• Analysis of the properties of bioactive compounds produced by tissue culture and their potential for use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and agri-food industries.
• Comparative analysis of the nature of bioactive compound extracted from vitro-derived plant material and in vivo grown plants, including yield, quality, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Individuating alternative green extraction methods for the production of natural bioactive compounds.
• Advantages and limitations of tissue culture for natural bioactive compound production.
• Environmental and ethical considerations related to tissue culture, including conservation of endangered plant species and reduction of biodiversity impoverishment.
• Economic and commercial feasibility of tissue culture for bioactive compound production, including scalability and cost-effectiveness.
Contributors are invited to address one or more of these themes in their research on the evaluation of tissue culture techniques as a sustainable and efficient strategy for natural bioactive compound production.
The increasing demand for natural compounds has led to an important need to investigate alternative forms of supply, due to their limited availability in nature, strongly linked to the environmental plant growing conditions. Moreover, the exploitation of plants for bioactive compound extraction can lead to an impoverishment of biodiversity. Research activity in the last years has been focused on finding alternative sources of supplying bioactive compounds, and in vitro-derived plant material is one of the valid alternatives. Plant tissue culture allows, firstly, the synthesis and then, the extraction of natural bioactive compounds in a sustainable and efficient way.
This Research topic aims to gather publications focus on evaluating and optimizing biosynthetic pathways leading to the production of bioactive compounds in in vitro grown plant material. Moreover, in consideration of making vitro-derived plant material a valid and sustainable source of secondary metabolites, studies carried out on the individuation of green extraction techniques with a lower impact on the environment will be welcome. Finally, to give a complete overview on this subject, research on valid methods to scale up the production process and improve the cost-effectiveness of tissue culture are invited.
The scope of this topic encompasses a broad range of themes and issues:
• Overview of tissue culture techniques and their potential for producing natural bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolics.
• Analysis of the properties of bioactive compounds produced by tissue culture and their potential for use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and agri-food industries.
• Comparative analysis of the nature of bioactive compound extracted from vitro-derived plant material and in vivo grown plants, including yield, quality, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Individuating alternative green extraction methods for the production of natural bioactive compounds.
• Advantages and limitations of tissue culture for natural bioactive compound production.
• Environmental and ethical considerations related to tissue culture, including conservation of endangered plant species and reduction of biodiversity impoverishment.
• Economic and commercial feasibility of tissue culture for bioactive compound production, including scalability and cost-effectiveness.
Contributors are invited to address one or more of these themes in their research on the evaluation of tissue culture techniques as a sustainable and efficient strategy for natural bioactive compound production.
Keywords: Natural Products, Plant Tissue Culture, Bioactive Compounds, Biosynthesis, Extraction, Secondary Metabolism
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
