6. Production of secondary metabolites from plants
Transcription
6. Production of secondary metabolites from plants
Research Signpost 37/661 (2), Fort P.O. Trivandrum-695 023 Kerala, India Plant Based Medicines, 2014: 93-109 ISBN: 978-81-308-0547-4 Editor: Remya Mohanraj 6. Production of secondary metabolites from plants Rahini.V. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biotechnology, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Paiyanoor, Kancheepuram 603 104. Abstract. Plants are potent biochemical factories. They have been components of phytomedicine since time immemorial. Plant products of commercial interest are secondary metabolites which can be derived from different parts of the plant like, bark, leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, fruits etc. This review focuses on the various techniques available for the isolation and purification of secondary metabolites from plants. The significance of plant cell culture in the production of secondary metabolites has also been reviewed. 1. Introduction Medicinal plants are the most exclusive source of life saving drugs for majority of the world’s population. The utilization of plant cells for the production of natural or recombinant compounds of commercial interest has gained increasing attention over past decades (Canter, et al., 2005). In recent years, traditional system of medicine has become a topic of global importance. Although modern medicine may be available in developed countries, herbal medicines [phytopharmaceuticals] have often maintained popularity for historical and cultural reasons. Correspondence/Reprint request: Ms. Rahini. V, Assistant professor, Dept. of biotechnology, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Missions University, Rajeev Gandhi Salai (OMR Road), Paiyanoor603104, Kancheepuram (Dt), Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail: [email protected] 94 Rahini. V The history of the extraction of natural products dates back to Mesopotamian and Egyptian times, where production of perfumes or pharmaceutically - active oils and waxes was a major business. In archeological excavations 250 km south of Baghdad extraction pots from about 3500 BC were found (Levey, 1959), made from a hard, sandy material presumably air - dried brick earth. It is supposed that in the circular channel was the solid feed, which was extracted by a Soxhlet - like procedure with water or oil. The solvent vapors were condensed at the cap, possibly cooled by wet rags. The condensate then did the leaching and was fed back through holes in the channel to the bottom. Generally, the plant products of commercial interest are secondary metabolites, which in turn belong to three main categories: essential oils, glycosides and alkaloids. The essential oils consist of mixture of terpenoids, which are used as flavoring agents, perfumes and solvents. The glycosides include flavanoids, saponins, phenolics, tannins, cyanogenic glycosides and mustard oils, which are utilized as dyes, food colors and medicinals (e.g., steroid hormones, antibiotics, digitalis). The alkaloids are a diverse group of compounds with over 4000 structures known; almost all naturally occurring alkaloids are of plant origin. Alkaloids are physiologically active in humans (e.g., cocaine, nicotine, morphine, strychnine) and therefore of a great interest for pharmaceutical industry. (Shuler et al., 1981) Figure 1. Secondary metabolites. Production of secondary metabolites from plants 95 2. Extraction and purification of plant secondary metabolites The production chain with natural products has three major parts to consider. The first is agricultural, followed by, for example, extraction to get a concentrated raw extract and in pharmaceutical applications (not with cosmetics and nutraceuticals) a final purification step is necessary in order to get ultrapure product. All the steps combined contribute to the overall yield and determine the final economics. 2.1. Extraction After harvesting the next step in the process chain is the extraction of the desired substance. However, there are several regulations to be considered. If the products are to be used with foods then there are regulations in the use of appropriate solvents. According to European Union and governmental regulations the following solvents are allowed: • • • water (with admixture of acids or base), other foodstuffs with solvent properties and solvents like propene, butane, ethylacetate, ethanol, CO 2 , N2O, acetone (the latter not with olive oil). In any case, for all these solvents the maximum content of arsenic or lead is 1 mg and no toxicologically critical additives are allowed. The use of a mixture of hexane and ethylmethyl ketone is forbidden. (Hans - Jörg Bart, 2011). Water, solvents from natural sources (limonene etc.), organic solvents and liquefied gases are used in the food industry. Here liquefied CO 2 dominates the market and is used for decaffeination of green coffee beans or tea, preparation of leaf extracts, extraction of spices, herbs, essential oils, pungent constituents, natural colorants and antioxidants as well as production of high - value fatty oils (Lack & Simandi, 2001). Criteria for solvent selection includes Solubility Selectivity Recoverability of Solvent Viscosity and Melting point Surface Tension Toxicity and flammability Corrosivity Thermal and chemical stability Availability and costs Environmental impact 96 Rahini. V Figure 2. General procedure for preparing extracts representing a range of polarities,including a virtually tannin-free chloroform extract. Production of secondary metabolites from plants 97 Figure 3. General fractionation procedure to obtain a precipitate of crude saponin from plants. 98 Rahini. V Figure 4. General procedure to obtain alkaloidal extracts from crude plant material. 2.2. Purification The purification methods rely on chromatography and the final product is then obtained by crystallization. In applications with nutraceuticals, cosmetics and fragrances there is no need for ultrapure products, which is in strong contrast to the pharmaceutical field. Chromatographic methods are very flexible due to their separation principles. Various Chromatographic methods include Adsorption Chromatography Partition Chromatography Ion exchange Chromatography Size exclusion Chromatography Production of secondary metabolites from plants 99 Bio-Affinity Chromatography True Moving Bed (TMB) Chromatography Simulated Moving Bed (TMB) Chromatography Annular Chromatography Isolation of secondary metabolites by solvent extraction from the naturally grown whole plants leads to the continued destruction of plants has posed a major threat to the plant species getting extinct over the years. Alternative methods for the production of these compounds by the use of plant cell culture technologies have gained particular interest (DiCosmo et al., 1989). 3. Plant cell culture In plant cell culture, the isolated cells from the whole plant (or parts derived thereof) are cultivated under appropriate physiological conditions and the desired product is extracted from the cultured cells. The large scale plant cell and tissue cultures have been considered as an alternative source of biochemicals over the last 40 years. Routien and Nickel received the first patent for the cultivation of plant tissue in 1956 (Routien et al., 1956) and suggested its potential for the production of secondary metabolites (Scragg, 1991). Shortly after that time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) started to support research of plant cell cultures for regenerative life support systems. Since early 1960s, experiments with plants and plant tissue cultures were performed under various conditions of microgravity in space (one-way spaceships, biosatellites, space shuttles and parabolic flights, the orbital stations Salyut and Mir) and accompanied by ground studies using rotating clinostat vessels (http://www.estec.esa.nl./spaceflights). Growth, development and metabolism of plant cells and tissues have been studied to improve our understanding of plant cell biology and tissue physiology, and derive criteria for bioprocess design (Kordym, 1997). The concept of using plant cell cultures is confined to the production of valuable natural products such as pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, and fine chemicals – over 20000 different chemicals are produced from plants, with about 1600 new plant chemicals added each year. A number of plant species have been used for generation and propagation of cell-suspension cultures, ranging from model systems like Arabidopsis, Catharanthus and Taxus, to important monocotyledon or dicotyledonous crop plants like rice, Soya bean, alfalfa and tobacco. The secondary metabolites 100 Rahini. V are known to play a major role in the adaptation of plants to their environment, but also represent an important source of pharmaceuticals (Ramachandra Rao & Ravishankar, 2002). The scheme of production of some important plant pharmaceuticals produced in cell cultures (Vanisree & Tsay, 2004) has been presented in Table 1. Table 1. Bioactive secondary metabolites from plant cell culture. Production of secondary metabolites from plants Table 1. Continued 101 102 Table 1. Continued Rahini. V Production of secondary metabolites from plants 103 The production of pharmaceuticals by the large scale plant tissue culture is an attractive alternative to the traditional methods of plantation, as it offers the following advantages (Fowler et al., 1985; Saurabh et al., 2002; Vijaya Sree, et al., 2010) Control of supply of product independent of the availability of the plant itself. Cultivation under controlled and optimized conditions. Strain improvements with programs analogous to those used for microbial systems. Pesticides and herbicides are not needed. Possibility of synthesizing novel compounds, not present in nature by feeding of compounds analogous to natural substrates. No dependence on climate and geographical location etc., well defined production systems which result in higher yields and more consistent quality of the product Cultured cells would be free of microbes and insects The cells of any plants, tropical or alpine, could easily be multiplied to yield their specific Metabolites. Automated control of cell growth and rational regulation of metabolite processes would reduce of labor costs and improve productivity. Organic substances are extractable from callus cultures. In order to obtain high yields suitable for commercial exploitation, efforts have been focused on isolating the biosynthetic activities of cultured cells, achieved by optimizing the cultural conditions, selecting high producing strains and employing precursor feeding, transformation methods, and immobilization techniques (Dicosmo & Misawa, 1995). Transgenic hairy root cultures have revolutionized the role of plant tissue culture in secondary metabolite production. They are unique in their genetic and biosynthetic stability, faster in growth, and more easily maintained. Using this methodology a wide range of chemical compounds have been synthesized (Giri & Narasu, 2000). Advances in tissue culture, combined with improvement in genetic engineering have led to a great increase in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and other beneficial substances (Hansen & Wright, 1999). Recent advances in the molecular biology, enzymology and fermentation technology of plant cell cultures suggest that these systems will become a viable source of important secondary metabolites (Abdin, 2007). Genome manipulation is resulting in relatively large amounts of desired 104 Rahini. V compounds produced by plants infected with an engineered virus, whereas transgenic plants can maintain constant levels of production of proteins without additional intervention (Abdin & Kamaluddin, 2006). Large scale plant tissue culture is an attractive alternative to the traditional methods of plantation, as it offers two advantages: (1) Controlled supply of biochemicals independent of plant availability (climate, pests, politics), and (2) Well defined production systems which result in higher yields and more consistent quality of the product (Fowler, 1985). However, various problems associated with low cell productivity, slow growth, genetic instability of high-producing cell lines, poor control of cellular differentiation and inability to maintain photoautotrophic growth have limited the application of plant cell cultures. Also, much of the research in this field has been done by scientists associated with private industry, not published and not available to academic institutions (Beachy. 1997). In addition, plant cell culture is expensive, and the best product candidates are those of high value (500–1000 US$ per kg) and low-volume, not synthesized by microorganisms, and too complex for chemical synthesis to be a reasonable alternative. As a rule of thumb, the process is commercially feasible if it yields a revenue of about 12 c/l/day (Humphrey, 1991). In spite of potential advantages of the production of secondary metabolites in plant cell cultures, only shikonin, ginsenosides and berberine are presently produced on a large scale, and all three process plants are located in Japan (Hara, 1996). In addition, the anti-cancer drug Taxol (registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb) is currently under consideration for large-scale production (Roberts et al., 1995; Seki et al., 1995; Seki et al., 1997). Consequently, the ongoing research in plant cell culture is largely focused on the identification of rate limiting steps in biosynthetic pathways. Several approaches were investigated: elicitation followed by monitoring the activities of pathway enzymes; measuring enzyme levels in cell lines of different biosynthetic capacities or after an addition of precursors; and determining the transformation and over-expression of pathway genes (Roberts et al., 1995, Bisaria & Panda 1991, Vasil 1991, Taticek et al., 1994, Knauf, 1995, Hahn et al 1997, Prince et al., 1997). However, the design of biochemical reaction networks requires identification of the critical branch point(s) and determination of the exact enzyme(s) that must be modified. Although molecular biology has provided the means to conduct precise genetic changes, the difficulties with targeting specific enzymes are still the limiting factor of faster progress in this area (Stephanopoulous, 1994). Advances in molecular biology hold promise for new products and new Production of secondary metabolites from plants 105 processes in plant biotechnology. Two major strategies for creating transgenic plants have been devised: (1) genetic transformation of the plants using Agrobacterium gene vectors or direct gene transfer by protoplast fusion, microprojectile bombardment, or electroporation, and (2) genome manipulation of plant pathogenic viruses. Genome manipulation is resulting in relatively large amounts of desired compound produced by a plant infected with an engineered virus, whereas transgenic plants can maintain constant levels of production of proteins without additional intervention. Genetic manipulation of plant cells poses several fundamental problems, including the stability of inserted genes, the functional expression of the enzymes involved, the localization of enzymes and products within the cellular compartments, and the effects of an additional pathway on the growth and physiology of plant cells. As a result, the productivity of only a few medicinal plants has been increased in this way (Flores et al., 1987, Rhodes et al., 1990, Wilson et al., 1990, Yun et al., 1992, Subroto et al., 1996). Plant cell cultures can be designed to produce valuable therapeutic proteins, including monoclonal antibodies, antigenic proteins that act as immunogenes (edible subunit vaccines for rabies, cholera, hepatitis B, malaria), human serum albumin, interferon, human enzyme for treating Gaucher’s disease, immuno-contraceptive protein, ribosome inactivator trichosantin, antihypersensitive drug angiotensin, leu-enkephalin neuropeptide, and human hemoglobin (Hahn et al., 1997; Hiatt et al., 1989; Manson & Arntzen et al., 1995; Wahl et al., 1995; Arntzen,1997; An & Lee, 1997; Marden et al., 1997; Wongsamuth, 1997). Due to an increased appeal of natural products for medicinal purposes, the metabolic engineering can affect the production of pharmaceuticals and help design new therapies. The candidate plant cell cultures are generally chosen by screening from medicinal and aromatic plants already used in drug production. At present, research and development are focused on plants producing substances with immunomodulating, antiviral, antimicrobial, antiparasite, antitumor, antiinflammatory, hypoglycemic, tranquilizer and antifeedant activity (Yamada, 1991). The delivery of these drugs is often more complicated than that of conventional drugs, necessitating gene therapies or controlled drug release systemsbased on biodegradable polymer materials (Langer 1990; Langer & Vacanti, 1993; Mulligan, 1993; Edwards et al., 1997). Advances in material science, reactor design and integration of the existing and novel separation processes into an overall processing scheme can further improve large scale plant tissue engineering. Current developments in tissue culture technology indicate that transcription factors are efficient new molecular tools for plant metabolic engineering to increase the production of valuable compounds (Gantet & 106 Rahini. V Memelink, 2002). In vitro cell culture offers an intrinsic advantage for foreign protein synthesis in certain situations since they can be designed to produce therapeutic proteins, including monoclonal antibodies, antigenic proteins that act as immunogenes, human serum albumin, interferon, immuno-contraceptive protein, ribosome unactivator trichosantin, antihypersensitive drug angiotensin, leu-enkephalin neuropeptide, and human hemoglobin (Doran, 2000). The appeal of using natural products for medicinal purposes is increasing, and metabolic engineering can alter the production of pharmaceuticals and help to design new therapies. At present, researchers aim to produce substances with antitumor, antiviral, hypoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, tranquilizer and immunomodulating activities through tissue culture technology. Exploration of the biosynthetic capabilities of various cell cultures has been carried out by a group of plant scientists and microbiologists in several countries during the last decade. Most applications of plant-cell-suspension cultures in biotechnology are aimed at the production of naturally occurring secondary metabolites. This has included production of shikonin, anthocyanins, and ajmalicine and, recently, important anti-tumor agents like taxol, vinblastine and vincristine (Oksman-Caldentey & Inze, 2004). In the last few years promising findings have been reported for a variety of medicinally valuable substances, some of which may be produced on an industrial scale in the near future. 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