Different Types of In Vitro Cultures of Schisandra chinensis and Its Cultivar (S. chinensis cv. Sadova): A Rich Potential Source of Specific Lignans and Phenolic Compounds

Chinese magnolia vine (Schisandra chinensis) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicinal plant species, which is very important in modern phytotherapy. The key role is assigned to specific compounds – dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans. This chapter describes the use of S. chinensis in vitro cultures as a tool to increase their production under controlled conditions as a promising biotechnological alternative to their extraction from ex vitro plant material or by chemical synthesis. Moreover, the chosen phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids) were taken into consideration, too. The whole process of biotechnological research was applied to studying S. chinensis and its cultivar – S. chinensis cv. Sadova No. 1. The studies involved initiation of in vitro cultures, optimization of the basal composition of the culture media, duration of the growth cycles, type of cultures, culture lighting conditions, elicitors, and bioreactor design. In all the steps of biotechnological process, efficient production of specific lignans and phenolic compounds was achieved. The research proved that plant in vitro cultures of both Schisandras can be an efficient tool used to increase the production of the desired secondary metabolites.