Medicinal and Aromatic Plants


Book Description

Growing consumer interest in organic and herbal-based products has led to great demand in the botanicals industry in the past few years. However, the growing number of products utilizing medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) has threatened an estimated 9,000 medicinal plant species worldwide, making it critical to reevaluate their research and development, production, and utilization. Continuing advances in Omics methodologies and instrumentation are essential to understanding how plants cope with the dynamic nature of their growing environment, how yields and characteristics can be improved, and how to most effectively direct conservation efforts. With a focus on metabolomics, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and more, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Expanding Their Horizons through Omics illustrates the genetic mechanisms of MAPs, providing a better understanding of MAPs conservation and methods to improve characteristics for medical applications. With an introduction on the role of MAPs in human health, subsequent chapters discuss using proteomics to increase MAP yields and plant quality, genome editing, and CRISPR/Cas9. A valuable resource for farmers, scientists, chemists, biochemists, pharmacists, and students interested in medicinal and aromatic plants and plant biology, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Expanding Their Horizons through Omics ensures readers have the background knowledge to put the necessary methodologies into practice themselves. - Includes in-depth analysis of Omics technologies for the enhancement of MAPs - Discusses applications of MAPs including their role in human health Written by world-wide leading experts in the field




Metabolic Engineering of Plant Secondary Metabolism


Book Description

Plant secondary metabolism is an economically important source of fine chemicals, such as drugs, insecticides, dyes, flavours, and fragrances. Moreover, important traits of plants such as taste, flavour, smell, colour, or resistance against pests and diseases are also related to secondary metabolites. The genetic modification of plants is feasible nowadays. What does the possibility of engineering plant secondary metabolite pathways mean? In this book, firstly a general introduction is given on plant secondary metabolism, followed by an overview of the possible approaches that could be used to alter secondary metabolite pathways. In a series of chapters from various authorities in the field, an overview is given of the state of the art for important groups of secondary metabolites. No books have been published on this topic so far. This book will thus be a unique source of information for all those involved with plants as chemical factories of fine chemicals and those involved with the quality of food and ornamental plants. It will be useful in teaching graduate courses in the field of metabolic engineering in plants.







Natural Products in the New Millennium: Prospects and Industrial Application


Book Description

This book deals with a variety of aspects of natural product research. It includes review articles and revised original contributions involving analysis, isolation and structure elucidation, synthesis and bioactivity of terrestrial and marine natural products. Plant cell biotechnology for the production of secondary metabolites is discussed. This volume provides also outstanding information about the industrial application of natural products for medicinal purposes. The broad interdisciplinary approach found in this book, which comprises 50 papers, makes it interesting to the scientists, whose work is in any way related to the research or use of natural products.




Plant Biotechnology and Transgenic Plants


Book Description

Contains case studies illustrating the cell culture production of pigments, flavors, and antineoplastic compounds Plant Biotechnology and Transgenic Plants covers topics that range from food to fragrances to fuel. It includes discussions of technologies and research on the engineering, synthesis, utilization, and control of primary and secondary plant metabolites such as carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, polymers, proteins, and phytochemicals for industrial, pharmaceutical, and food and feed applications. The editors put the emphasis on recent methods in farming, plant propagation, and breeding and modern procedures to formulate more effective biopharmaceuticals.




Medicinal Plant Biotechnology, 2 Volume Set


Book Description

This unique overview of plants and transgenic techniques of great scientific, medicinal and economic value for both industry and academia covers the whole spectrum from cell culture techniques, via genetic engineering and secondary product metabolism right up to the use of transgenic plants for the production of bioactive compounds. Practical examples are given throughout, including the production of cancer therapeutics, functional food, and flavor compounds in plants. Of particular interest to the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, as well as medicinal chemists, biochemists, and molecular biologists.




The Alkaloids


Book Description




Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants


Book Description

With over 1000 original drawings and 500 photographs, this work offers complete coverage of cell biology, plant physiology and molecular biology.




Catharanthus roseus


Book Description

This book studies the production of indole alkaloids in the important medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, commonly known as periwinkle. The anticancer alkaloids, viz. vinblastine and vincristine, are mainly present in the leaves of C. roseus and inhibit the growth of cancer cells by hindering the formation of mitotic apparatus during cell division. Further, vinblastine helps increase the chance of surviving childhood leukemia while vincristine is used to treat Hodgkin’s disease. Great efforts have been made to produce these alkaloids at a large scale by the culture of plant cells. In view of this worldwide demand for commercial use, this book explores how to maximize the production of anticancer alkaloids from C. roseus. This reference book will be helpful for research students, teachers, ethnobotanists, pharmacologists and herbal growers who have a strong interest in this anticancer medicinal plant of paramount importance.




Plant-derived Natural Products


Book Description

Plants produce a huge array of natural products (secondary metabolites). These compounds have important ecological functions, providing protection against attack by herbivores and microbes and serving as attractants for pollinators and seed-dispersing agents. They may also contribute to competition and invasiveness by suppressing the growth of neighboring plant species (a phenomenon known as allelopathy). Humans exploit natural products as sources of drugs, flavoring agents, fragrances and for a wide range of other applications. Rapid progress has been made in recent years in understanding natural product synthesis, regulation and function and the evolution of metabolic diversity. It is timely to bring this information together with contemporary advances in chemistry, plant biology, ecology, agronomy and human health to provide a comprehensive guide to plant-derived natural products. Plant-derived natural products: synthesis, function and application provides an informative and accessible overview of the different facets of the field, ranging from an introduction to the different classes of natural products through developments in natural product chemistry and biology to ecological interactions and the significance of plant-derived natural products for humans. In the final section of the book a series of chapters on new trends covers metabolic engineering, genome-wide approaches, the metabolic consequences of genetic modification, developments in traditional medicines and nutraceuticals, natural products as leads for drug discovery and novel non-food crops.