Secondary metabolites are economically important as drugs, flavour and fragrances, dye and pigments, pesticides, and food additives. The evolving commercial importance of secondary metabolites has in recent years resulted in a great interest in secondary metabolism, particularly in the possibility of altering the production of bioactive plant metabolites by means of tissue culture technology. Plant cell and tissue culture technologies can be established routinely under sterile conditions from explants, such as plant leaves, stems, roots, and meristems for both the ways for multiplication and extraction of secondary metabolites. Azadirachtin, a limonoid group of secondary metabolite has gain more importance on account of its broad spectrum activity,
ecofreindly and non-toxic actions towards beneficial organisms. Extraction of Azadirachtin from seeds of naturally grown whole plants is labour intensive process and again the commercial yield relies on geographical and climatic factors. Plant tissue culture technology can be a potential process and offering consistent and stable production of this bioactive compound in a specific controlled condition abide of climatic factors and hasten the commercial yield o f Azadirachtin. The present review stated that plant tissue culture (in vitro) could be developed as promising alternative for Azadirachtin production.
Author(s): Krishnananda Pralhad Ingle, Gopal Wasudeo Narkhede