Production of Terpene Trilactones from Cell and Organ Cultures of Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba is an ancient plant that has survived up until the present day. Gingko biloba is a rich source of valuable secondary metabolites, particularly terpene trilactones (TTLs) such as ginkgolides and bilobalides, which are obtained from the leaves and seeds of the plant. TTLs have pharmacological properties, including anticancer, anti-dementia, antidepressant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, antiplatelet, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective effects. However, ginkgo is a very-slow-growing tree that takes approximately 30 years to reach maturity. In addition, the accumulation of TTLs in these plants is affected by age, sex, and seasonal and geographical variations. Therefore, plant cell cultures have been established in ginkgo to produce TTLs. Extensive investigations have been conducted to optimize the culture media, growth regulators, nutrients, immobilization, elicitation, and precursor-feeding strategies for the production of TTLs in vitro. In addition, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology methods have been used for the heterologous production of TTLs. In this review, we present the research strategies applied to cell cultures for the production of TTLs.