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Phytochemistry and Biotechnology Approaches of the Genus Exacum

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The Gentianaceae - Volume 2: Biotechnology and Applications

Abstract

The genus Exacum consists of about 70 species occurring in the region of the Indian Ocean (Africa, Madagascar, Socotra, Arabian Peninsula, Sri Lanka , and India) and also in the Himalayas, southern Asia (China, Malaysia), and northern Australia . Until now, only the species Exacum affine has been cultured as an ornamental pot plant, but several other species also have features desired by horticulturists. Biotechnological methods for plant multiplication can be helpful to introduce plants into commercial floriculture. The genus Exacum is poorly studied in terms of the content of its chemical compounds. Major uses in traditional medicine, confirmed by ethnobotanical studies and investigations on biological activities, suggest great pharmacological potential of Exacum species. Plants derived from cultured tissues could be a source of material for the isolation of pharmaceutically important compounds. The accumulation of secondary metabolites in such cultures may be improved and modified using biotechnological approaches. Numerous Exacum species are endemic and often endangered by over-exploitation for medicinal purposes. Micropropagation methods can have application in the protection of those species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, 9 Medyczna Str., 30-688, Kraków, Poland

    Ewa Skrzypczak-Pietraszek

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  1. Ewa Skrzypczak-Pietraszek
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Correspondence to Ewa Skrzypczak-Pietraszek .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Botanical Garden-Center for Biological Diversity Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

    Jan J. Rybczyński

  2. Plant and Crop Sciences Division, University of Nottingham School of Biosciences, Loughborough, United Kingdom

    Michael R. Davey

  3. Botanical Garden-Center for Biological Diversity Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

    Anna Mikuła

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Skrzypczak-Pietraszek, E. (2015). Phytochemistry and Biotechnology Approaches of the Genus Exacum . In: Rybczyński, J., Davey, M., Mikuła, A. (eds) The Gentianaceae - Volume 2: Biotechnology and Applications. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54102-5_16

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