Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Expanding their Horizons through Omics

Tariq Aftab, Khalid Rehman Hakeem

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9780128195901
• eBook ISBN:
  9780128227756
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Botany
• Index: Biological Sciences

Growing consumer interest in organic and herbal-based products has led to great demand in the botanicals industry in the past few years. However, the growing number of products utilizing medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) has threatened an estimated 9,000 medicinal plant species worldwide, making it critical to reevaluate their research and development, production, and utilization. Continuing advances in Omics methodologies and instrumentation are essential to understanding how plants cope with the dynamic nature of their growing environment, how yields and characteristics can be improved, and how to most effectively direct conservation efforts. With a focus on metabolomics, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and more, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Expanding Their Horizons through Omics illustrates the genetic mechanisms of MAPs, providing a better understanding of MAPs conservation and methods to improve characteristics for medical applications. With an introduction on the role of MAPs in human health, subsequent chapters discuss using proteomics to increase MAP yields and plant quality, genome editing, and CRISPR/Cas9. A valuable resource for farmers, scientists, chemists, biochemists, pharmacists, and students interested in medicinal and aromatic plants and plant biology, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Expanding Their Horizons through Omics ensures readers have the background knowledge to put the necessary methodologies into practice themselves. - Includes in-depth analysis of Omics technologies for the enhancement of MAPs - Discusses applications of MAPs including their role in human healthWritten by world-wide leading experts in the field

Chapter 1

Review of the active principles of medicinal and aromatic plants and their disease fighting properties

Hilal Ahmad Ganaie Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology Research Laboratory, Centre of Research for Development (CORD), University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract

Kashmir Himalaya has been imparted with a rich wealth of floral diversity by nature. Most of the ethno pharmacologically important plants are endemic to this region. The medicinal values of plants are attributed to the presence of active compounds, synthesized via different biosynthetic pathways. The basic health care of nearly 75%–80% of global population relies on herbal medicine. This dependence has resulted from their better cultural acceptability, economical, better compatibility with body, and free from side effects. The GC-MS analysis of hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of plants found in the area showed different components. The antibacterial activity of these plants extracts were tested against a set of bacterial strains, including both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains by agar well diffusion method. The plant shows broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. The antimutagenic activity of both the plants was also tested against EMS-induced mutagenicity in mice by micronuclei (MN) and chromosomal aberration (CA) tests. The reduction profiles in the MN induction of methanolic extract of Melissa officinalis at the concentration (100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kgbw) with EMS were estimated as 14.5%, 28.0%, 47.7%, and 81.5%, respectively.

Thus, it is clearly evident that medicinal and aromatic plants possess those active principles which are having antibacterial and antimutagenic activities. These plants can be an easily accessible and cost effective source of promising therapeutic agents that can be used in combating horrible diseases such as cancer and other infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant microorganisms. Future research work is recommended to isolate and structurally characterie the active principle(s) responsible for such biological activities and understanding the mechanism of their action at molecular level.

Keywords

bioactive constituents

GC-MS

medicinal and aromatic plants

antibacterial activity

antimutagenic activity

Introduction

The medicinal plants have been practised for therapeutics from the beginning of human civilization. The herbal s...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Review of the active principles of medicinal and aromatic plants and their disease fighting properties
• Chapter 2: Unraveling the mode of action of medicinal plants in delaying age-related diseases using model organisms
• Chapter 3: Metabolomics and fluxomics studies in the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus
• Chapter 4: Multivariate analysis of herbal drugs with diverse pharmacological activities: metabolomics study
• Chapter 5: Metabolomics: a recent advanced omics technology in herbal medicine research
• Chapter 6: Genome editing: applications for medicinal and aromatic plants
• Chapter 7: Cytogenetic and bioactive attributes of Crocus sativus (Saffron): a tool to unfold its medicinal mystery
• Chapter 8: Metabolic engineering for the production of plant therapeutic compounds
• Chapter 9: CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in medicinal and aromatic plants: developments and applications
• Chapter 10: Proteomics research in aromatic plants and its contribution to the nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical outcomes
• Chapter 11: Fluxes of nutrients in mycorrhiza: what has fluxomics taught us in the plant-fungus interaction?
• Chapter 12: Metabolomics of medicinal and aromatic plants: Goldmines of secondary metabolites for herbal medicine research
• Chapter 13: Exploration of biotechnological studies in low-calorie sweetener Stevia rebaudiana: present and future prospects
• Chapter 14: Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): phytochemistry, therapeutic significance and omics-based biology
• Chapter 15: Exploitation of revered potent medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum with particular accent on oncotherapeutics
• About the editors
• Index