The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has approved Rs 2 crore to the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore for the extraction and production of Camptothecin (CPT) in a sustained manner. CPT is found to have a broad spectrum of anti-tumour activity, both under in vitro and in vivo conditions. It is clinically used as an anti-tumour compound.

CPT, a pyrrolo-quinoline alkaloid, was first isolated from the Chinese deciduous tree Camptotheca acuminata, which is belonging to the family Nysaceae.

With the rising demand for CPT, it is imperative that efforts are made to facilitate the sustainable supply of CPT without jeopardizing the natural populations of Nothapodytes nimmoniana. Among the plants reported to contain CPT, the highest concentration (about 0.3 per cent on a dry weight basis) has been reported from Nothapodytes nimmoniana, a small tree occurring in the Western Ghats. In recent years, due to indiscriminate extraction of trees, the availability declined by 20 per cent from the Western Ghats.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, R Uma Shaanker, professor, University of Agriculcural Sciences, Bangalore, said, "We successfully isolated endophytic fungi from these plants and have shown the production of CPT by the fungi independent of the host tissue. Using novel GIS techniques, we have able to predict the chemical-hotspots of populations of Nothapodytes nimmoniana for the production of CPT in the Western Ghats. During our research time we have found number of related camptothecines for anti-cancer and anti-HIV properties".

Irinotecan and Topotecan are the two water-soluble derivatives of CPT that have gained approval by the US FDA for treating colorectal and ovarian cancer. Other camptothecins have shown a remarkable potential in the treatment of various cancers. Camptothecins are lauded as one of the most promising anti-cancer drugs of the twenty-first century.

The work aims to explore the rich potential of bio-resources in the Indian context. Through the prospecting high value metabolites it will be opening new avenues for product development, technology transfer, which will also help in economic growth.

Talking about future initiative, Shaanker, said, "We are planning to build up various metabolites including camptothecin, shikimic acid, galanthamine and a few others leads in the next 2 to 4 years. A major aim of all these work will be to identify alternate sources of high value metabolites from the bio-resources of our country and develop suitable technologies for the production of these metabolites within the country by actively transferring the knowledge to industries".