Biotechnological advances on Plumbago zeylanica L.: an important medicinal plant

Plumbago zeylanica L. is an important medicinal herb belonging to the family Plumbaginacea. Since time immemorial, it has been used for the treatment of various ailments. This plant also possesses various pharmacological activities, including hepatoprotective, anticancer, antifertility, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, and cardio-protective. The above-mentioned pharmacological activities of this plant are due to the presence of a wide range of secondary metabolites, including plumbagin. This plant is conventionally propagated using seeds, which have its own drawbacks, including low seed germination, short-term viability, and infestation by pests and insects. Thus, the conventional propagation method is unable to produce a large number of plants to meet their commercial demand. This challenge can be alleviated by the use of different biotechnological approaches. Plant tissue culture is an alternative tool for large scale production of in vitro plants and pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites (plumbagin) within a short span of time to narrow down the industrial demand. This review highlights the present status of P. zeylanica, it’s challenges in regard to over exploitation and how to amend this. Further, we have also focused on the production of plumbagin content using various approaches.