During the past four decades plant cell biotechnology has evolved as a promising new area
within the field of biotechnology, focusing on production of secondary metabolites and in vitro
propagation of plants. Boraginaceae is one of the family that biotechnological tools were applied
extensively because of their economically, ornamentally and medicinally valuable seconder metabolites
as well as their endangered species. The Boraginaceae family is known as Borage or Forget-me-not,
contains more than 156 genera and about 2000 species including annual, perrenial herbs, shrubs and
trees. Members of the family were distributed mostly in sandy -drier regions of the world. The most
well-known members of the family are Forget me not (Myosotis sp.), Borage (Borago sp.), Comfreys
(Symphytum sp.), and Heliotrope (Heliotropium sp.). A good number of the family members are
used as a source of dye in cosmetics, food, textile and also in medical field. Selected species of the
family utilized for obtaining secondary metabolites including naphtaquinone derivatives, rosmarinic
acid and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Due to their medicinal, economical and ecological importance,
biotechnological tools such as plant tissue culture, metabolic engineering and in vitro
micropropagation have been applied to produce biologically active compounds, pigments and to
increase the population of the endangered species.
The purpose of this chapter to review studies performed utilizing biotechnological methods in diverse
members of this family. Botanical aspects, traditional usage, chemical constituents and production of
secondary metabolites in cultures and via metabolic engineering in some of the family members were
also reviewed in brief.
Keywords: Boraginaceae, biotechnology, in vitro propagation, naphtaquinones, Arnebia, plant cell culture,
callus culture, plant tissue culture, elicitor, hairy root culture, Onosma, pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
