About laboratory
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The Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies focuses on two research areas. The first involves studying the uptake of organic and inorganic pollutants, their distribution and transformation in plants and the environment, and plant stress responses at biochemical and molecular levels. This research aims to develop innovative phytoremediation technologies for environmental cleanup. The second area explores biologically active substances with potential applications in pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Our approach integrates the production and optimization of natural compounds under controlled in vitro conditions with the synthesis of their analogues and the de novo synthesis of biologically active molecules. By collaborating with end-users, we enhance the practical application of our findings. This synergy between basic research and practical implementation allows us to maximize the impact and innovation potential of the laboratory. |
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Organic Pollutants |
Toxic Metals & Radionuclides Pollution |
Secondary Metabolites |
Biotransformation |
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Organic molecules containing nitrate groups are manufactured primarily for explosives or for their pharmacological effects. The contamination of the environment by explosives, especially by nitroesters and nitroaromatics (NACs), is a worldwide environmental problem since enormous amounts of these compounds were produced during World War I and II. Most contaminated sites are located at ammunition factories and other places where these compounds were handled. One of inexpensive approach for cleanup of soil and water contaminated with these propellants is the use phytoremediation. |
Heavy metals and radionuclides represent high stress factor for environment and for human. Their toxicities or radiotoxicities are expressed in many different effects and it can be cause of indigestions, different dermatitis, changes in blood count, damage of fundamental organs (brain, liver, kidney), cancerous processes etc. For majority of cations the strong binding with -SH, -COOH and -NH2 groups is characteristic. Therefore more important is the lowering of toxic metals on the natural level. Phytoremediation is still a nascent technology that seeks to exploit the metabolic capabilities and growth habits of higher plants: delivering a cheap, soft and safe biological treatment that is applicable to specific contaminated sites and wastewaters is a relatively recent focus. |
Plants produce a huge variety of compounds exploited by pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industry. Production of some plant compounds is problematic due to their low contents in raw material, difficult field cultivation, slow growing of plants, etc. As an example could be mentioned anticancer drugs Taxol from Taxus species or Vinblastine and Vincristine from Catharanthus roseus. Alternative approach to field cultivation or to material collection from natural sources is cultivation under controlled conditions on solid or liquid sterile medium where desired products are harvested from a biomass or a culture medium. We are currently working mainly on in vitro production of ginsenosides by Panax ginseng root culture. Different approaches such as culture conditions, medium composition, and elicitation are studied to increase root growth as well as to improve production of ginsenosides. |
Among those plants that are already known to contain biologically active compounds there is still plenty of species waiting for exploring. The main field of our interest is the
screening of extracts and compounds of plant origin to find new inhibitors of cyclooxygenases, enzymes involved in mammalian inflammatory processes. We use in vitro enzymatic assay
for this purpose. |
