Production of Bioactive Compounds through in vitro Technologies of Critically Endangered Herb Swertia chirayita and Exploration of its Biological Activities

Abstract

Swertia chirayita, an indigenous ethno medicinal herb of the temperate Himalayas, which has been in use since ages in the Indian subcontinent. S. chirayita is a rich reservoir of phytochemicals mainly Amarogentin and Mangiferin, which are used in various herbal formulations as well as to cure cancerous and diabetic disorders. These important biomarker compounds are of great interest to the pharmaceutical industries. The population of S. chirayita has declined drastically in the natural habitat as a result the species has been, categorized as critically endangered herb by the IUCN. Accordingly, the current study focused on development of tissue culture platform to counter extinction concerns and meet the rising demand for medicinally and industrially significant biomarker compounds of S. chirayita.