Pharmaceuticals such as alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, saponins,
monoterpenes, flavonoids and amino acids are now being produced using plant cell
culture technologies. The standardization of plant metabolite processing technologies
using in vitro cultures assists in the understanding of their biosynthesis and
accumulation biology. The development of metabolites in plant cell cultures is affected
by a number of factors, including physical, chemical, nutritional and genetic factors.
The controlled production of plant metabolites in cell cultures is a viable alternative not
only for reducing pressure on the natural habitats of plant species but also for providing
year-round conditions for metabolite production. Exposure of cultured cells to biotic
and abiotic elicitors increased the production of plant metabolites. Hairy root induction
has recently been discovered to be effective in the production of metabolites
synthesized in various parts of plants.
Keywords: Callus cultures, Elicitation, Hairy root cultures, Suspension cultures, Secondary metabolites.
