Plants are a valuable source of a wide range of secondary metabolites, many of which are currently extracted from naturally grown plants using solvent extraction. However, the continuous depletion of plants poses a significant threat to plant species and their natural habitats, leading to the extinction of many valuable and endemic species. Plant cell cultures present a promising alternative for producing high-value secondary metabolites without needing entire plants. Despite reports of successful secondary metabolite production from various medicinal plants using plant cell suspension cultures, these initiatives often face challenges such as poor cell efficiency, slow growth, genetic instability of high-producing cell lines, inadequate regulation of cellular differentiation, high costs, and difficult-tocontrol contamination. Various strategies have been employed to address these challenges, including optimizing nutrients and environmental conditions, using stress-inducing compounds, and selecting high-producing strains. Recent advances in functional genomics and metabolite profiling offer unprecedented opportunities to harness the biochemical capabilities of plants to produce and design novel compounds. This review examines the historical background, status, constraints, prospects, and economic benefits of using plant cell suspension cultures for secondary metabolite production.

Benzene exposure in humans has significant negative health consequences and may be linked to an increased risk of blood biochemical changes. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine the level of lead in blood of fuel station workers at various petroleum stations in holly Makkah city and look into its effects on specific blood biochemical parameters. Blood samples were collected from 63 individuals, including 44 samples from gasoline station workers (exposed group) and 19 samples from women who were not subjected to any kind of benzene exposure (nonexposed group). Socio-demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire and 10 ml of venous blood was collected for the determination of lead and biochemical parameters. Data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The median (range) of blood lead level among exposed group 40.5 (4.0-90.0) 5μg/dL was significantly higher (P = 0.00) than non-exposed group 3.2 (2.7-15.0) μg/dL). Exposed workers had decreased level in albumin, glucose, total protein, and hemoglobin when compared with normal level in human blood (p<0.0001). The results also confirmed that, there was significant relation between exposure to benzene and increase in blood cholesterol (p<0.01). The correlation between benzene exposure and the blood lead level was confirmed by comparing with the non-exposed group (p<0.01). The outcomes from the exposure call upon increased concern for policy action to avoid the adverse effects of benzene on gasoline stations workers’ health.

Gum arabic (Acacia senegal) is a multipurpose tree widely distributed throughout the Sudano- Sahelian region of sub-Saharan Africa, extending from Sudan to Senegal. It is best known for being the main source of high-quality commercial gum arabic, a bark exudate used in a variety of food, pharmaceutical, and industrial products. Gum arabic trees are conventionally propagated through seeds. However, in addition to the difficulty in obtaining selected seeds every year, poor germination, and the death of young seedlings in the natural habitat, this method results in high genetic diversity within the species’ populations. In vitro micropropagation may be the best substitute to avoid the drawbacks of traditional propagation. Micropropagation promotes large-scale commercial plantations and sustainable agriculture to satisfy the growing global demand for gum arabic. Additionally, it can be used for conservation, genetic enhancement, and production of disease-free planting materials. However, despite its potential, gum arabic tree micropropagation methods face several difficulties, including a poor multiplication rate, low rooting, and a high mortality rate during acclimatization. In this review, we first provide an overview of gum arabic trees and their conventional means of propagation, and then describe all published research and the most up-to-date information on the progress made in the field of gum arabic tree micropropagation from 1973 to 2025. The challenges and future perspectives of this study are also outlined.