Medicinal Plant Biotechnology - Lecture

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

Without doubt there is an increasing demand for herbal medicinal products, nutraceuticals, and natural products for health care all over the world. Medicinal plants can produce several biologically active compounds during their primary and secondary metabolism. However, the production of these metabolites is critically affected by environmental factors and the cultivation of some medicinal plants is difficult. In some cases the active compound is produced in low quantities (e.g. taxol in Taxus brevifolia (0.015% dry weight) by the host plant. But there is possibility to change of genetic program of plants, plant cells and organs, and use their ability for technological purposes.

The aim of this course is to introduce the engineering of medicinal plants: prospects and limitations of medicinal plant biotechnology, the most important extraction methods and chromatographic techniques used in the research of medicinal plants, plant-associated microorganisms (endophytes) as a new source of bioactive natural products, in vitro culturing techniques of medicinal plants, breeding of medicinal plants, and the biosynthesis and classification of the most important plant secondary metabolites. Students should be able to apply the acquired knowledge in their job.

Lectures

• 1. Introduction. The engineering of medicinal plants: prospects and limitations of medicinal plant biotechnology - Horváth Györgyi
• 2. Introduction. The engineering of medicinal plants: prospects and limitations of medicinal plant biotechnology. - Horváth Györgyi
• 3. Metabolomics. Analytical methods used in biotechnology. - Horváth Györgyi
• 4. Metabolomics. Analytical methods used in biotechnology. - Horváth Györgyi
• 5. Plant-associated microorganisms (endophytes) as a new source of bioactive natural products. - Kocsis Marianna
• 6. Plant-associated microorganisms (endophytes) as a new source of bioactive natural products. - Kocsis Marianna
• 7. DNA profiling of plants. - Kocsis Marianna
• 8. DNA profiling of plants. - Kocsis Marianna
• 9. In vitro culturing techniques of medicinal plants. - Kocsis Marianna
• 10. In vitro culturing techniques of medicinal plants. - Kocsis Marianna
• 11. Breeding of medicinal plants. - Kocsis Marianna
• 12. Breeding of medicinal plants. - Kocsis Marianna
• 13. Biosynthesis and classification of terpenoids. - Horváth Györgyi
• 14. Biosynthesis and classification of terpenoids. - Horváth Györgyi
• 15. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology I.: Plant biochemistry and biotechnology of flavour compounds and essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 16. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology I.: Plant biochemistry and biotechnology of flavour compounds and essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 17. General features and classification of alkaloids. - Horváth Györgyi
• 18. General features and classification of alkaloids. - Horváth Györgyi
• 19. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology II.: Biotechnology and production of alkaloids. - Horváth Györgyi
• 20. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology II.: Biotechnology and production of alkaloids. - Horváth Györgyi
• 21. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology III.: Biotechnology and production of secondary metabolites of Ginkgo biloba. - Kocsis Marianna
• 22. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology III.: Biotechnology and production of secondary metabolites of Ginkgo biloba. - Kocsis Marianna
• 23. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology IV.: Biotechnology and production of artemisinin for malaria. - Kocsis Marianna
• 24. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology IV.: Biotechnology and production of artemisinin for malaria. - Kocsis Marianna
• 25. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology V.: Biotechnology and production of camptotechin. - Kocsis Marianna
• 26. Special examples of medicinal plant biotechnology V.: Biotechnology and production of camptotechin. - Kocsis Marianna
• 27. Test. - Horváth Györgyi
• 28. Test. - Horváth Györgyi

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

Recommended literature

Oliver Kayser, Wim Quax (2007): Medicinal Plant Biotechnology. From basic research to industrial applications. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Evans W.C.: Trease and Evans Pharmacognosy, Saunders, London, New York, 2000

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Satisfactory fulfillment of 1 written test (min. 60%) based on the lectures. There is one possibility to repeat the exam.

Mid-term exams

Satisfactory fulfillment of 1 written test (min. 60%) based on the lectures. There is one possibility to repeat the exam.

Making up for missed classes

There is no possibility.

Exam topics/questions

The material of written test based on the lectures.

Examiners

• Horváth Györgyi

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars