ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the recent research progress in the production of anticancer compounds by plant tissue cultures. Podophyllum peltatum is a common herb in deciduous forests of eastern North America, and accumulates lignans such as podophyllotoxin. The Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, produces an extremely diverse airay of indole alkaloids of which the bisindole alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine are particularly well known, due to their antimitotic and therapeutic applications. The discovery of these alkaloids and their cytotoxic properties in the 1950s resulted in their development as anticancer drugs and they are now indispensable components of combination chemotherapy regimens used to treat a number of cancers. Alternative methods are being developed or have been developed for producing increased amounts of paclitaxel. In general, the amount of an anticancer compound present in a specific plant is extremely low and it is not easily available, often requiring sophisticated extraction techniques.
