Background The background of this study revolves around Rauvolfia tetraphylla and its potential anti-inflammatory properties. To explore the anti-inflammatory activity of crude extracts obtained from the leaf and fruit of R. tetraphylla, with the goal of identifying natural compounds that could serve as safer and more effective alternatives to conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Objectives Aim of the study is to identify the most potent anti-inflammatory activity from Rauvolfia tetraphylla and optimizing the synthesis using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The RSM analysis is to determine the influence of selected independent variables on dependent variables of the anti-inflammatory properties of R. tetraphylla, an endangered medicinal shrub. Materials and Methods The anti-inflammatory activity of various crude extracts (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol) derived from the leaf and fruit of R. tetraphylla, was investigated using an in vitro assay based on denaturation of protein and utilize Response Surface Methodology to optimize the anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts using bovine serum albumin as the test protein. Results The results showed that the ethyl acetate extract of fruit exhibited greatest inhibitory effect. Furthermore, the 3D response surface plot, perturbation plot, and contour plot were successfully obtained, indicating the interdependence of the four factors on the anti-inflammatory activity. By optimizing the parameters, it may be possible to enhance the anti-inflammatory activity, thereby maximizing the plant’s therapeutic potential. Conclusion These findings suggest that R. tetraphylla leaf and fruit could serve as a potential source of anti-inflammatory agents with better safety and efficacy profiles compared to Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs.

Cynanchum tunicatum (Retz.) Alston is native to the Asian region and is distributed in the tropical areas of India and Sri Lanka. The aim of this study is to explore the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, and anti-inflammatory properties of C. tunicatum. Metabolic profiling was carried out using phytochemical screening to detect and quantify the secondary metabolites. To evaluate the potential secondary metabolites using the standard methods, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) from organic extracts of C. tunicatum and its biological activities. FTIR investigated peaks that represent alkane and aromatic compounds. GC–MS revealed the presence of 22 constituents such as 1-Hexacosene (0.145 %), l-(+)-Ascorbic acid 2,6-dihexadecanoate (8.129 %), Campesterol (5.243 %), Beta −Amyrin (10.614 %), Lupeol (13.061 %), Octadecanoic acid (0.751 %) are the major active compounds present. HPTLC fingerprinting confirms the bioactive compounds such as colchicine, strychnine, coumarin etc. which are represented with corresponding R_f values. Among all the extracts of C. tunicatum methanolic extract showed highest antioxidant activities. In 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl method exhibit the IC₅₀ of (38.91 µg/mL), Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (1.6 µg/mL), total antioxidant assay (IC₅₀ = 32.91 µg/mL) and IC₅₀ of anti-inflammatory activity (42.31 µg/mL) respectively. These findings enrich the knowledge of the species Cynanchum tunicatum for the possible application as a source of bioactive compounds in drug discovery.

Molecular markers, Genome-Wide association studies, and Quantitative trait locus mapping accelerate breeding, in which plant genetic transformation and stable regeneration protocols, including embryo rescue and somaclonal variation, are highlighted. Omics insights into stress management, yield improvement, genes enhance and crop performance. Plant-derived secondary metabolites are vital natural compounds with diverse pharmaceutical, nutritional, and industrial applications, including recent uses in COVID-19 treatment due to their antiviral properties. However, the escalating global demand for secondary metabolites threatens plant biodiversity. To address this, microbial cell factories have emerged as promising platforms for sustainable secondary metabolites production, albeit challenges remain in achieving cost-effective production at scale. Endophytes, which reside within plant tissues, are gaining attention for their ability to synthesize bioactive compounds like alkaloid, flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, etc. They offer potential as alternative sources or genetic reservoirs for secondary metabolites production, utilizing strategies such as heterologous gene expression and biotransformation. This review summarizes current research on secondary metabolites biosynthesis, highlighting their commercial potential, discussing challenges and future prospects in enhancing secondary metabolites production through synthetic biology and multiomics approaches.

In vitro seed culture is the most successful method of preserving rare, threatened, endangered, and vulnerable medicinal plants. Cynanchum tunicatum (Retz.) Alston is a climbing shrub native to India and Sri Lanka. The plant seeds are used in traditional medicine to treat fever, skin diseases and infections. The plant seed is commercially important, and due to the over-exploitation of the medicinal plant, it may become vulnerable and the seed was collected from Sirumalai forest, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India. Producing ample plantlets through the seed culture technique is a boon and overcoming the exploitation of medicinal plants to optimize the experimental factors using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) 2FI Model. Since the significance of abiotic factors plays an importance role in plant tissue culture. This method is an effective statistical technique for analyzing various factors with a number of experimental trials. Hence, this experiment was conducted to optimize the influencing factors such as pH, photoperiod and sucrose concentration on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. The factors were optimized under various experimental conditions, the maximum percentage (96%) of seed germination was obtained at pH 5.8, photoperiod 16/8 hours with 3% of sucrose on MS basal medium.