Computational Analysis in Podophyllum Species and Scientific Validation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Abstract

Podophyllotoxin is a medicinally important and commercially valued aryltetralignans obtained as a secondary metabolite form the Podophyllum species. Due to its high medicinal value, this plant species has been over-exploited extremely and is now enlisted as an endangered species. There is, hence, a need to explore different plant species as potential sources for podophyllotoxin production, the major hurdle being the lack of definite knowledge on the biosynthesis pathway of podophyllotoxin. The current study aims to perform a computational analysis of the pathway and provide an insight on the interconnected networks to understand the pathways governing the biosynthesis of podophyllotoxin. Three important enzymes, secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase, (rhizome) dirigent protein oxidase and pluviatolide synthase, have been identified for their crucial role in regulating respective biosynthesis pathways independently and therefore studied to understand their role in podophyllotoxin biosynthesis. This study also identifies some other plant species that can be potential substitutes for podophyllotoxin production