Biotechnological interventions and indole alkaloid production in Rauvolfia serpentina.

Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2022 Aug

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Rauvolfia serpentina (L). Benth. ex Kurz. (Apocynaceae), commonly known as Sarpagandha or Indian snakeroot, has long been used in the traditional treatment of snakebites, hypertension, and mental illness. The plant is known to produce an array of indole alkaloids such as reserpine, ajmaline, amalicine, etc. which show immense pharmacological and biomedical significance. However, owing to its poor seed viability, lesser germination rate and overexploitation for several decades for its commercially important bioactive constituents, the plant has become endangered in its natural habitat. The present review comprehensively encompasses the various biotechnological tools employed in this endangered Ayurvedic plant for its in vitro propagation, role of plant growth regulators and additives in direct and indirect regeneration, somatic embryogenesis and synthetic seed production, secondary metabolite production in vitro, and assessment of clonal fidelity using molecular markers and genetic transformation. In addition, elicitation and other methods of optimization of its indole-alkaloids are also described herewith. KEY POINTS: • Latest literature on in vitro propagation of Rauvolfia serpentina • Biotechnological production and optimization of indole alkaloids • Clonal fidelity and transgenic studies in R. serpentina. © 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Citation

Abhijit Dey, Debleena Roy, Vikas Moreshwar Mohture, Mimosa Ghorai, Md Habibur Rahman, Uttpal Anand, Saikat Dewanjee, Radha, Manoj Kumar, Dorairaj Arvind Prasanth, Niraj Kumar Jha, Saurabh Kumar Jha, Mahipal S Shekhawat, Devendra Kumar Pandey. Biotechnological interventions and indole alkaloid production in Rauvolfia serpentina. Applied microbiology and biotechnology. 2022 Aug;106(13-16):4867-4883