In Vitro Secondary Metabolite Production for Sustainable Utilization of Endangered Medicinal Plants

Plant cell cultures represent an inherent source of diverse secondary products or metabolites, which can be applicable in nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, or food colors. The valuable products are directly harvested from various plant species from time immemorial. However, thousands of plant species were severely facing extinction and listed as endangered. Besides, the chemical synthesis of valuable and rare metabolites is a very difficult process and not economically feasible. In such cases, plant cell cultures can produce the same compounds as the original or unique ones having economic value. This will result in the development of a reproducible plant cell culture system having enhanced production of desired metabolites. The great interest in in vitro culture techniques is that they may supply a continuous and reliable source of plant metabolites and could support the overproduction of metabolites. This chapter summarizes the applicability of in vitro culture techniques and unique secondary metabolites’ production.