Pharmacological, biochemical and biotechnologyc profile of Improving rauwolfia serpentine secondary metabolites

Abstract

Rauwolfia serpentine (Apocynaceae family) is a plant with important medicinal applications, distributed in moist and warm areas of Asia, Africa, tropical America and Australia. Rauwolfia species are used as raw material for extracting free alkaloids; in the preparation of standardized extracts containing alkaloids and to obtain powders from bark and roots. Reserpine is mostly used against hypertension and as sedatives. The bark and roots powder are also used as: aphrodisiac, emetic, purgative, dysentery and sedative and others uses. The active ingredients are alkaloids like ajmalicine, sarpagine, yohimbine and others of indole type found at a concentration of 1 to 2 %. The cultivation of R. serpentina exhibits low seed germination and viability. Furthermore Rauwolfia are species threatened by overexploitation. Due to these reasons, there is a huge need for in vitro propagation of Rauwolfia serpentina to support the production of alkaloids and commercial demand and for and conservation of this valuable natural resource endangered. Hence it is necessary the optimization of the in vitro plant tissue culture techniques for mass propagation of R. serpentina are necessary. The present article aims to updated information regarding drug and biotechnology and pharmacological of secondary metabolites of Rauwolfia serpentina and to review the biosynthetic pathway of reserpine.