Plant Cell Suspension Culture for PlantSecondary Metabolite Production: CurrentStatus, Constraints, and Future Solutions
Mutasim M. Khalafalla
Abstract
Plants are a valuable source of a wide range of secondary metabolites, many of which are currently extracted from naturally grown plants using solvent extraction. However, the continuous depletion of plants poses a significant threat to plant species and their natural habitats, leading to the extinction of many valuable and endemic species. Plant cell cultures present a promising alternative for producing high-value secondary metabolites without needing entire plants. Despite reports of successful secondary metabolite production from various medicinal plants using plant cell suspension cultures, these initiatives often face challenges such as poor cell efficiency, slow growth, genetic instability of high-producing cell lines, inadequate regulation of cellular differentiation, high costs, and difficult-tocontrol contamination. Various strategies have been employed to address these challenges, including optimizing nutrients and environmental conditions, using stress-inducing compounds, and selecting high-producing strains. Recent advances in functional genomics and metabolite profiling offer unprecedented opportunities to harness the biochemical capabilities of plants to produce and design novel compounds. This review examines the historical background, status, constraints, prospects, and economic benefits of using plant cell suspension cultures for secondary metabolite production.