Read this article to learn about the role of plant biotechnology in medicines.
Medicinal plants or their extracts are used by humans since time immemorial for different ailments and provided valuable drugs such as analgesic (morphine), antitussive (codeine), antihypertensive (reserpine), cardio tonic (digoxin), antineoplastic (vinblastine and taxol) and antimalarial (quinine and artemisinin).
Some of the plants which continues to be used from Mesopotamian civilization till today are Cedrus species, Cupressus sempenirens, Glycirrhiza glabra, Commiphora wightii, and Papaver somniferum.
About two dozen new drugs derived from natural sources have been approved by FDA and put in market during 2000-2005, which include drugs for cancer, neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic and immunological diseases, and genetic disorders. Seven plant derived drugs currently used clinically for various types of cancers are taxol from Taxus species, vinblastine and vincristine from Catharanthus roseus, topotecan and irinotecan from Camptotheca accuminata, and etoposide and teniposide from Podophyllum peltatum.
Most of the natural products are compounds derived from primary metabolites such as amino acids, carbohydrates and fatty acids, and are generally categorized as secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are considered as end product of primary metabolism and are generally not involved in metabolic activity viz., alkaloids, phenolics, essential oils and terpenes, sterols, flavonoids, lignins, tannins etc. These secondary metabolites are the major source of pharmaceuticals (Table 27.3), food additives, fragrances, and pesticides. Plant tissue culture provides excellent system to study and produce medicinally important compounds. 