Plant cell cultures as a source of bioactive small molecules
Stafford, A.M.
Current Opinion in Drug Discovery and Development 5(2): 296-303
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 1367-6733 PMID: 11926136 Document Number: 545913
Plants have provided some of our most important pharmaceuticals and are a continuing source of novel bioactive molecules for drug development. Cell suspension cultures of higher plants are a complementary source of novel chemistry with significant advantages over whole plants, including plasticity of expression and re-accessibility. With an emphasis on recent progress, the use of plant cell cultures for both new lead discovery and as a route to the production of known bioactives will be described. Developments in strategies that can be applied to facilitate future success in the area are discussed.