ABSTRACT
The enhanced in vitro production of bioactive compounds in plants is often achieved through the elicitation process. Elicitation is the process where various forms of stress introduced to in vitro cultures leads to triggering effects to product-specific metabolic pathways in plants. In addition to the widely used elicitors, many researchers have forwarded novel metallic elicitors and nanoparticles. The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are effectively applied as an elicitor in several metabolite production systems. AgNPs can enhance the signal transduction and activation of enzymatic pathways that contribute to the synthesis of phytochemicals. In this sense, the present studies describe the effect of AgNPs on various tissue-culture systems, especially in callus cultures, cell suspension cultures, hairy root cultures, and adventitious shoot cultures. In this study, we present scientific evidence about the application of AgNPs enhancing the production of diverse bioactive plant metabolites.
