In vitro Applications for the Increasing of Root-Related Secondary Metabolite Production in Medicinal Plants and Vegetables

Abstract

Secondary metabolites, gaining importance in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, perfumery, food industry and agrarian struggle, are synthesized in different organs such as root, leaves, shoot and seed in plants. These compounds are defined as “light in bulk” because of the low synthesis rate but “high in value” because of the wide range of applications, activities and economic values. Obtaining of the secondary metabolites found in roots by conventional methods is based on dismantling of these plants from the nature or the cultural field and isolating by the different methods. Detachment of plants from nature causes the loss of genetic resources. And it has some difficulties as the challenges and differences in terrain and climate conditions, low metabolite yield and quality and more labor. Thus a new approaches is needed to enable more economic, higher metabolite yield and quality compared to the conventional methods. Therefore, in vitro techniques have gained importance. With this review, it was aimed to inform in vitro applications used to increase root-related secondary metabolites production in order to guide future researches.