Valeriana officinalis as a novel platform for plant natural product drug discovery

Valerian is a nutraceutical preparation from the roots of Valeriana officinalis that is commonly recommended for relief of tension, anxiety and insomnia. The greatest biological efficacy of valerian has been correlated with freshly harvested and carefully dried root preparations, and with the iridoid alkaloid and sesquiterpene content of these preparations. The valepotriates are epoxyiridoid esters with the dominant species being valtrate. Because of putative instability and water insolubility of the valepotriates, some investigations have suggested that the sesquiterpene compounds are more important for the biological activity of valerian. To determine which chemical components of V. officinalis are important for its biological activities, we have developed several important capabilities and tools to support this effort. First, we have developed and relied upon transcriptomic and metabolomic resources to identify the genes encoding for these unique biosynthetic capabilities. Second, the methodology for genetic engineering hairy root cultures of V. officinalis having diverse chemical profiles has been developed. Third, we have been working on the development of a novel test platform for assessing the anxiolytic activity of the various engineered hairy root culture lines. Progress in all of these areas will be presented.