In Vitro Cultivation and Ginsenosides Accumulation in Panax ginseng: A Review

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 17; p. 3165
• Main Authors: Xu, Fengjiao, Valappil, Anjali Kariyarath, Mathiyalagan, Ramya, Tran, Thi Ngoc Anh, Ramadhania, Zelika Mega, Awais, Muhammad, Yang, Deok Chun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 03.09.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Accumulation; Bioactive compounds; Biomass; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Callus; Cell culture; Cosmetics; Embryonic growth stage; Explants; Food industry; Ginseng; ginseng breeding; Ginsenosides; ginsenosides accumulation; Hairy root; Herbal medicine; in vitro tissue culture; Metabolites; Morphogenesis; Organogenesis; P. ginseng; Panax ginseng; Pharmaceutical industry; Phenols; Polysaccharides; Review; Reviews; Roots; Saccharides; Secondary metabolites; Somatic embryogenesis; Stem cells; Tissue culture
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants12173165

The use of in vitro tissue culture for herbal medicines has been recognized as a valuable source of botanical secondary metabolites. The tissue culture of ginseng species is used in the production of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, polysaccharides, and especially ginsenosides, which are utilized in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This review paper focuses on the in vitro culture of Panax ginseng and accumulation of ginsenosides. In vitro culture has been applied to study organogenesis and biomass culture, and is involved in direct organogenesis for rooting and shooting from explants and in indirect morphogenesis for somatic embryogenesis via the callus, which is a mass of disorganized cells. Biomass production was conducted with different types of tissue cultures, such as adventitious roots, cell suspension, and hairy roots, and subsequently on a large scale in a bioreactor. This review provides the cumulative knowledge of biotechnological methods to increase the ginsenoside resources of P. ginseng. In addition, ginsenosides are summarized at enhanced levels of activity and content with elicitor treatment, together with perspectives of new breeding tools which can be developed in P. ginseng in the future.