Production of Camptothecin from Nothapodytes nimmoniana: An Overview

Abstract

Nothapodytes nimmoniana is an endangered tree endemic to Western Ghats, India and it is the convenient source for large scale isolation of camptothecin (CPT). Since the first report of CPT detection in N. nimmoniana, significant work has been done on its applications. Due to heavy collection of its wood chips for CPT, population is under threat in India. Several plant tissue culture techniques offer alternative strategies for clonal propagation and CPT production to conserve the species. Various strategies are employed to enhance in vitro condition response through culture medium optimization, elicitation, and artificial seed method. In this article, we have reviewed progress made so far on different methods of plant tissue culture techniques for production of camptothecin from N. nimmoniana and biosynthesis of CPT in details. Key-wordsNothapodytes nimmoniana, Camptothecin, Plant tissue culture, Elicitation, Biosynthesis INTRODUCTION The Western Ghats are known for their rich as well as unique flora and fauna. It is one of the rich sources for medicinal plants which are used for curing various diseases. Nothapodytes nimmoniana (J. Graham) Mabberly (Syn. Nothapodytes foetida) belongs to the family Icacinaceae, it is a small tree which can grow up to 8 meters tall which is allocated in Nilgiris, Annamalis, Pullneys, North Kanara and Konkan Ghats, broadly in Western Ghats of India, a global biodiversity hot spot. The tree is endemic to Western Ghats, but is also distributed in Sri lanka, China, South East Asia, North Sumatra, Taiwan and Myanmar [1-3] . The significant interest on this plant is due to the presence of anti-cancer drug, camptothecin (CPT) and 9-Methoxy CPT (Fig. 1). CPT is a monoterpene cytotoxic quinoline alkaloid, first isolated from the plant Camptotheca acuminata [4] which belongs to the family Nyssaceae and later in N. nimmoniana [5] . It is also reported in Pyrenacantha klaineana [6] , Ophiorrhiza species [7] , Chenomorpha fragrance [8] , Dysoxylum binectariferum [9] , and other related species [10] . Reason for distribution of CPT in several unrelated taxa suggests that the genes encoding enzymes involved in CPT biosynthesis evolved early during evolution, but followed switched ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’ process for certain period [11] . Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: