One of the challenges of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries is to deliver biochemical compounds that can be advantageous for the skin. Research on Boraginaceae taxa has confirmed their use in traditional medicine and proved the potential biological importance of various molecules in cosmetology. The main classes of valuable compounds associated with Boraginaceae taxa are fatty acids, including γ-linolenic acid, essential oils, phenolic acids (e.g., rosmarinic acid), flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, and saponins. Highly specific are naphthoquinone pigments (including shikonin) and allantoin. Another distinguishing feature is the accumulation of silica (silicon dioxide) in trichomes. Some taxa produce mucilages. However, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) with toxic properties are also found (mainly in Symphytum spp.); therefore, their applications should be avoided. Extracts or individual compounds of Boraginaceae plants are characterized by antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-irritant, antiaging, and photoprotective activities. Boraginaceae products are widespread in the cosmetic industry as ingredients of creams, balms, lotions, gels, shampoos, lipsticks, perfumes, and deodorants. The most valuable for the cosmetic industry are raw materials obtained from the genera Alcanna Anchusa, Arnebia, Borago, Buglossoides, Cerinthe, Cordia, Echium, Ehretia, Eriodictyon, Glendora, Lappula, Lithospermum, Lycopsis, Macrotomia, Maharanga, Mertensia, Messerschmidia, Myosotis, Omphalodes, Onosma, Pulmonaria, Rindera, Symphytum, Trachystemon, and Trigonotis. Further research should focus on the search for active substances in other plants of the family.

A precursor feeding strategy was used for the first time in agitated microshoot cultures of Aronia × prunifolia. This strategy involved the addition of biogenetic precursors of simple phenolic acids (phenylalanine, cinnamic acid, and benzoic acid) and depsides (caffeic acid) into the culture media, with an assessment of its effect on the production of these bioactive compounds. The in vitro cultures were maintained in Murashige–Skoog medium (1 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L NAA). Precursors at five concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mmol/L) were fed into the medium at the time of culture initiation (point “0”) and independently on the 10th day of growth cycles. The contents of 23 compounds were determined in methanolic extracts of biomass collected after 20 days of growth cycles using an HPLC method. All extracts contained the same four depsides (chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, rosmarinic, and cryptochlorogenic acids) and the same four simple phenolic acids (protocatechuic, vanillic, caffeic, and syringic acids). Chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids were the predominant compounds in all extracts (max. 388.39 and 263.54 mg/100 g d.w.). The maximal total contents of all compounds were confirmed after feeding with cinnamic acid (5 mmol/L, point “0”) and caffeic acid (10 mmol/L, point “0”), which caused a 2.68-fold and 2.49-fold increase in the contents of the estimated compounds vs. control cultures (603.03 and 558.48 mg/100 g d.w., respectively). The obtained results documented the efficacy of the precursor feeding strategy in enhancing the production of bioactive compounds in agitated cultures of A. × prunifolia and suggest a potential practical application value.

The use of plant secondary metabolites has gained considerable attention among clinicians in the prevention and treatment of cancer. A secondary metabolite isolated mainly from the roots and rhizomes of Podophyllum species (Berberidaceae) is aryltetralin lignan - podophyllotoxin (PTOX). The purpose of this review is to discuss the therapeutic properties of PTOX as an important anticancer compound of natural origin. The relevant information regarding the antitumor mechanisms of podophyllotoxin and its derivatives were collected and analyzed from scientific databases. The results of the analysis showed PTOX exhibits potent cytotoxic activity; however, it cannot be used in its pure form due to its toxicity and generation of many side effects. Therefore, it practically remains clinically unusable. Currently, high effort is focused on attempts to synthesize analogs of PTOX that have better properties for therapeutic use e.g. etoposide (VP-16), teniposide, etopophos. PTOX derivatives are used as anticancer drugs which are showing additional immunosuppressive, antiviral, antioxidant, hypolipemic, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, attention is paid to the high potential of the usefulness of in vitro cultures of P. peltatum which can be a valuable source of lignans, including PTOX. In conclusion, the preclinical pharmacological studies in vitro and in vivo confirm the anticancer and chemotherapeutic potential of PTOX and its derivatives. In the future, clinical studies on human subjects are needed to certify the antitumor effects and the anticancer mechanisms to be certified and analyzed in more detail and to validate the experimental pharmacological preclinical studies.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical profiles of the seeds, sprouts, leaves, flowers, roots and herb of Salvia hispanica and to demonstrate their significant contribution to antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Applied methods were: HPLC-DAD coupled with post-column derivatization with ABTS reagent, untargeted metabolomics performed by LC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS, and two-fold micro-dilution broth method, which involved suspending a solution of tested compounds dissolved in DMSO in Mueller–Hinton broth for bacteria or Mueller–Hinton broth with 2% glucose for fungi. Metabolomic profiling using LC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS used in this study yielded the identification and preliminary characterization of one hundred fifteen compounds. The dominant class of compounds was terpenoids (31 compounds), followed by flavonoids (21 compounds), phenolic acids and derivatives (19 compounds), organic acids (16 compounds) and others (fatty acids, sugars and unidentified compounds). The organic and phenolic acids were the most abundant classes in terms of total peak area, with distribution depending on the plant raw materials obtained from S. hispanica. The main compound among this class for all types of extracts was rosmarinic acid which was proven to be the most abundant for antioxidant potential. All tested extracts exhibited considerable antibacterial and antifungal activity. The strongest bioactivity was found in leaf extracts, which presented bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, M. luteus and E. faecalis). The work represents the first compendium of knowledge comparing different S. hispanica plant raw materials in terms of the profile of biologically active metabolites and their contribution to antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal activity.

Schisandra henryi (Schisandraceae) is a plant species endemic to Yunnan Province in China and is little known in Europe and America. To date, few studies, mainly performed by Chinese researchers, have been conducted on S. henryi. The chemical composition of this plant is dominated by lignans (dibenzocyclooctadiene, aryltetralin, dibenzylbutane), polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavonoids), triterpenoids, and nortriterpenoids. The research on the chemical profile of S. henryi showed a similar chemical composition to S. chinensis—a globally known pharmacopoeial species with valuable medicinal properties whichis the best-known species of the genus Schisandra. The whole genus is characterized by the presence of the aforementioned specific dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, known as “Schisandra lignans”. This paper was intended to provide a comprehensive review of the scientific literature published on the research conducted on S. henryi, with particular emphasis on the chemical composition and biological properties. Recently, a phytochemical, biological, and biotechnological study conducted by our team highlighted the great potential of S. henryi in in vitro cultures. The biotechnological research revealed the possibilities of the use of biomass from S. henryi as an alternative to raw material that cannot be easily obtained from natural sites. Moreover, the characterization of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans specific to the Schisandraceae family was provided. Except for several scientific studies which have confirmed the most valuable pharmacological properties of these lignans, hepatoprotective and hepatoregenerative, this article also reviews studies that have confirmed the anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticancer, antiviral, antioxidant, cardioprotective, and anti-osteoporotic effects and their application for treating intestinal dysfunction.

Verbena officinalis L. is a medicinal plant widespread in the wild throughout almost of all continents. The medicinal raw material obtained from this species is the herb. Its main constituents include iridoids (e.g., verbenalin, hastatoside), different groups of polyphenols (e.g., phenylpropanoid glycosides, simple phenolic acids and depsides, and flavonoids), triterpenoids (e.g., ursolic acid), phytosterols, essential oil, and bioelements. This species has an important position both in traditional European and North American medicine as well as in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In 2008, Verbenae herba was introduced into official European medicine. In the United States, this species has long been known and used in official allopathic and homeopathic medicine. The vervain herb also appears in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2005). This article presents basic information on the morphology, ecology, and distribution of natural habitats of this species worldwide and reviews the main groups of its chemical components occurring in the herb and possible therapeutic uses of this raw material. The important position of this species in cosmetology was also underlined. In addition, biotechnological studies maintained by our research teams on the biosynthetic potential of cells cultured in vitro were presented. These studies aimed to optimize conditions for in vitro cultures in order to facilitate the accumulation of bioactive phenolic compounds. The optimization was performed by testing a wide range of plant growth regulators, light conditions (white fluorescent light, darkness, monochromatic LED lights), and culture types differing in the degree of organogenesis, that is, undifferentiated callus cultures and microshoot cultures (stationary, agitated, and bioreactor cultures). The results of the biotechnological studies have indicated that the biosynthetic potential of cells in in vitro cultures is specifically oriented toward the production of phenylpropanoid glycosides: verbascoside and isoverbascoside. The maximum contents of these compounds reaching ca. 9 g% of verbascoside (stirred tank bioreactor cultures) and ca. 0.6 g% of isoverbascoside (agitated cultures) obtained in undifferentiated cultures are interesting from practical perspective. On the other hand, microshoot cultures of this species produce essential oil at quantities comparable to its contents in the soil-grown plants (ca. 8 g/kg DW in a Plantform bioreactor) but differing in chemical composition, which is also the result offering the potential for application.

Chia seeds (Salviae hispanicae semen), obtaining from Salvia hispanica L. (Lamiaceae), currently are becoming more popular in the food industry as a “novel food”, as ingredient of functional food (FOSHU) and dietary supplements. Chia seeds have been approved by the European Food Safety Authority and National Nutrient Database. Furthermore, thanks to medicinal properties are an object of interest of cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. In particular, chia seeds have high content of essential unsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber, as well as essential amino acids, polyphenols, vitamins, and mineral salts. Currently, scientists are using various strategies that lead to increase in bioactive content, in chia seeds and sprouts. Recent studies confirmed that chia seeds show cardioprotective, hypotensive, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective properties. This paper presents information obtained from scientific research on chia seeds and moreover, on S. hispanica plant and sprouts; their source, chemical composition, and health-promoting properties.

Microshoot agitated and bioreactor cultures (PlantForm bioreactors) of three Hypericum perforatum cultivars (Elixir, Helos, Topas) were maintained in four variants of Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (in the range of 0.1-3.0 mg/L). In both types of in vitro cultures, the accumulation dynamics of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and catechins were investigated during 5- and 4-week growth cycles, respectively. The contents of metabolites in methanolic extracts from biomasses collected in 1-week intervals were estimated by HPLC. The highest total contents of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and catechins were 505, 2386, and 712 mg/100 g DW, respectively (agitated cultures of cv. Helos). The extracts from biomass grown under the best in vitro culture conditions were examined for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The extracts showed high or moderate antioxidant activity (DPPH, reducing power, and chelating activity assays), high activity against Gram-positive bacteria, and strong antifungal activity. Additionally, experiments with phenylalanine feeding (1 g/L) in agitated cultures were performed reaching the highest enhancement of the total contents of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and catechins on day 7 after the addition of the biogenetic precursor (2.33-, 1.73- and 1.33-fold, respectively). After feeding, the highest accumulation of polyphenols was detected in the agitated culture of cv. Elixir (4.48 g/100 g DW). The high contents of metabolites and the promising biological properties of the biomass extracts are interesting from a practical point of view.

This review refers to botanical, ecological and phytochemical characteristics of Vitis vinifera L. (vine grape)–a species, the valuable properties of which are widely exploited in the food industry and in recent times in medicine as well as in phytocosmetology. The general characteristic of V. vinifera, followed by the chemical composition and biological activities of different extracts obtained from the plant (fruit, skin, pomace, seed, leaf and stem extracts), are provided. A concise review of the extraction conditions of grape metabolites and the methods of their analysis are also presented. The biological activity of V. vinifera is determined by the presence of high contents of polyphenols, mainly flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, kaempferol), catechin derivatives, anthocyanins and stilbenoids (e.g., trans-resveratrol, trans-ε-viniferin). The review pays particular attention to the application of V. vinifera in cosmetology. It has been proven that V. vinifera possesses strong cosmetological-related properties, such as anti-ageing properties, anti-inflammatory properties and skin-whitening properties. Moreover, a review of studies on V. vinifera biological activities, which are of particular interest for dermatologic problems, are disclosed. Furthermore, the work also emphasises the importance of biotechnological studies on V. vinifera. The last part of the review is addressed to the safety of the use of V. vinifera.

The chapter discusses the importance of plant biotechnology research on Nasturtium officinale (watercress), an endangered species of valuable pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutritional properties. This is a comprehensive study focusing on the development of N. officinale in vitro cultivation methods with the aim of stimulating the production of glucosinolates (GSLs) and polyphenols—compounds that are important from the perspective of plant utility. In addition, optimization of N. officinale in vitro culture conditions is discussed in detail, e.g., influence of plant growth regulators (PGRs) (cytokinins and auxins), LED light wavelength spectrum, and duration of growth periods on the production of bioactive metabolites in agar and agitated N. officinale microshoot cultures. Furthermore, the antioxidant profile of the tested in vitro culture extracts is evaluated using the following assays: cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). The highest total GSL content was achieved in the agar-grown microshoots over 20 days on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1 mg/L 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 1 mg/L 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) under a combination of 50% green, 35% red, and 15% blue lights (RBG). The highest total polyphenol content was detected in agar cultures cultivated over 10 days on the MS medium with 1 mg/L zeatin (Zea) and 1 mg/L NAA. The experimental cultures showed a high antioxidant potential. The optimal antioxidant activity was found for the extracts of N. officinale agitated microshoot cultures grown for 20 days on the MS medium containing 1 mg/L kinetin (KIN) and 1 mg/L 3-indolylacetic acid (IAA), as determined using the abovementioned methods.

This study aimed to establish the in vitro shoot culture of Isatis tinctoria L. and its ability to produce antioxidant bioactive compounds. The Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium variants, containing different concentrations (0.1–2.0 mg/L) of benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were tested. Their influence on the growth of biomass, accumulation of phenolic compounds, and antioxidant potential was evaluated. To improve the phenolic content, agitated cultures (MS 1.0/1.0 mg/L BAP/NAA) were treated with different elicitors, including the following: Methyl Jasmonate, CaCl2, AgNO3, and yeast, as well as with L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine—precursors of phenolic metabolites. The total phenolic content (TPC) of hydroalcoholic extracts (MeOH 70%) obtained from the biomass grown in vitro was determined spectrophotometrically; phenolic acids and flavonoids were quantified by RP-HPLC. Moreover, the antioxidant potential of extracts was examined through the DPPH test, the reducing power, and the Fe2+ chelating assays. The biomass extracts obtained after 72 h of supplementation with Tyr (2 g/L), as well as after 120 and 168 h with Tyr (1 g/L), were found to be the richest in TPC (49.37 ± 0.93, 58.65 ± 0.91, and 60.36 ± 4.97 mg GAE/g extract, respectively). Whereas among the elicitors, the highest TPC achieved was with CaCl2 (20 and 50 mM 24 h), followed by MeJa (50 and 100 µM, 120 h). The HPLC of the extracts led to the identification of six flavonoids and nine phenolic acids, with vicenin-2, isovitexin, syringic, and caffeic acids being the most abundant compounds. Notably, the amount of all flavonoids and phenolic acids detected in the elicited/precursor feeding biomass was higher than that of the leaves of the parental plant. The best chelating activity was found with the extract of biomass fed with Tyrosine 2 g/L, 72 h (IC50 0.27 ± 0.01 mg/mL), the strongest radical scavenging (DPPH test) for the extract obtained from biomass elicited with CaCl2 50 mM, after 24 h of incubation (25.14 ± 0.35 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/g extract). In conclusion, the in vitro shoot culture of I. tinctoria supplemented with Tyrosine, as well as MeJa and/or CaCl2, could represent a biotechnological source of compounds with antioxidant properties.

Chitosan-based nanoparticles (chitosan-based nanocomposites; chitosan nanoparticles; ChNPs) are promising materials that are receiving a lot of attention in the last decades. ChNPs have great potential as nanocarriers. They are able to encapsulate drugs as well as active compounds and deliver them to a specific place in the body providing a controlled release. In the article, an overview has been made of the most frequently used preparation methods, and the developed applications in medicine. The presentation of the most important information concerning ChNPs, especially chitosan’s properties in drug delivery systems (DDS), as well as the method of NPs production was quoted. Additionally, the specification and classification of the NPs’ morphological features determined their application together with the methods of attaching drugs to NPs. The latest scientific reports of the DDS using ChNPs administered orally, through the eye, on the skin and transdermally were taken into account.

This study aimed to examine the influence of the addition of a precursor (phenylalanine) on the accumulation of secondary metabolites in agitated shoot cultures of Ruta graveolens. Cultures were grown on Linsmaier and Skoog (LS) medium, with plant growth regulators (0.1 mg/L α-naphthaleneacetic acid—NAA—and 0.1 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine—BAP). Phenylalanine was added to the cultures at a concentration of 1.25 g/L after 4 and 5 weeks of growth cycles. Biomass was collected after 2, 4, and 7 days of precursor addition. Both control and experimental cultures had the same secondary metabolites accumulated. Using the HPLC method, linear furanocoumarins (bergapten, isoimperatorin, isopimpinellin, psoralen, and xanthotoxin), furoquinoline alkaloids (γ-fagarine, 7-isopentenyloxy-γ-fagarine, and skimmianine), and catechin were detected and quantified in the methanolic extracts. In turn, phenolic acids, such as gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid were detected in hydrolysates. The production of phenolic acids and catechin (1.5-fold) was significantly increased by the addition of precursor, while there was no significant effect on the production of coumarins and alkaloids. The highest total content of phenolic acids (109 mg/100 g DW) was obtained on the second day of phenylalanine addition (the fourth week of growth cycles). The dominant phenolic compounds were p-coumaric acid (maximum content 64.3 mg/100 g DW) and ferulic acid (maximum content 35.6 mg/100 g DW). In the case of catechins, the highest total content (66 mg/100 g DW) was obtained on the third day of precursor addition (the fourth week of growth cycles). This study is the first to document the effect of feeding the culture medium with phenylalanine on the accumulation of bioactive metabolites in in vitro cultures of R. graveolens.

Some of the more than 350 Scutellaria species, such as S. baicalensis and S. lateriflora, have been used in traditional medicine and today play an important role in official phytotherapy. Other species have been less investigated, and their therapeutic potential is unknown. This is one of the few studies on Scutellaria brevibracteata subsp. subvelutina, and the first research of this species’ in vitro cultures. The aim of this study was to establish an in vitro culture and analyse its phytochemical profile and biological activity. In the methanolic extracts from biomass cultured on six solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium variants supplemented with different combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in the range 0.5–3 mg/L analysed by HPLC, the presence of specific flavonoids (baicalein, baicalin, wogonin, wogonoside, scutellarin, chrysin), phenylpropanoid glycosides (verbascoside, isoverbascoside), and phenolic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, ferulic, m-coumaric acids) was confirmed. The dominant metabolites were wogonoside and verbascoside with the highest content of 346 and 457 mg/100 g DW, respectively. Thus, the extract with the highest content of bioactive metabolites was selected for further research and subjected to evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. The extract exhibited good free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 0.92 ± 0.01 mg/mL) and moderate reducing power and chelating activity. The brine shrimp lethality bioassay proved its lack of biotoxicity. Antimicrobial activity was tested against sixteen strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The strongest growth inhibitory activity was observed against Trichophyton tonsurans.

Isatis tinctoria L. (Brassicaceae) is an herbaceous species with an ancient and well-documented history as an indigo dye source in temperate climates and as a medicinal plant. After centuries of intensive cultivation in Europe, the crop was completely abandoned in the late nineteenth century, when the production of synthetic indigo dye replaced that of natural indigo. Currently, the rising demand for naturally sourced dyes by the dyestuff industry, together with the use for medicinal purposes and the production of cosmetics, has prompted a renewed interest in this species. Herein, an overview of the research focused on the economically sustainable cultivation of I. tinctoria is given, primarily aimed at achieving maximum yields of indigo dye. Additionally, a detailed account is reported of all attempts in plant biotechnology studies for the enhanced production of bioactive compounds from I. tinctoria hairy root and shoot cultures as an alternative to plant raw materials. Furthermore, the main uses of this valuable species are described.