Micropropagation and Secondary Metabolite Enhancement in Endangered Leguminous Climbers

Abstract

The growing need for plant-derived medicinal compounds has highlighted the urgency of preserving endangered medicinal plants, many of which are threatened by over-exploitation, habitat loss, and global warming. Of these, leguminous climbers such as Clitoria ternatea, Mucuna pruriens, and Abrus precatorius are of special significance owing to their high content of bioactive secondary metabolites like alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, which are in great demand in the pharmaceutical sector for their medicinal value. But the existence of these species is threatened, and thus there is a compelling need for efficient conservation measures. Micropropagation, a tissue culture technique, has also been identified as a viable option to overcome this problem by facilitating the quick, large-scale propagation of these climbers under in vitro conditions, thus providing genetic uniformity and minimizing the reliance on wild populations. In addition, improvement in optimizing micropropagation techniques not only favors sustainable propagation of these plants but also improves the production of secondary metabolites using elicitors, plant growth regulators, and environmental stresses, ultimately improving their medicinal value. This review explores different micropropagation methods and procedures to increase secondary metabolite yield in leguminous climbers, with special reference to the dual significance of these methodologies for maintaining biodiversity and fulfilling the increasing market demand for quality plant-based pharmaceutical products.