Valeriana officinalis L. and its constituents in novel epigenetic approaches in plant tissue cultures

Currently, 8 out of 10 drugs used to treat human diseases, including cancer, have a plant origin or incorporate derivatives of plant secondary metabolites. In the present study, it was found that one of the valerian constituents – valeric acid (VA) – could act as a selective inhibitor of HDA19 and HDA6 histone deacetylases in plants. Those deacetylases are responsible for the repression of genes involved in plant embryonic development and production of valuable secondary metabolites. In silico and in vitro analysis showed that VA can enhance somatic embryogenesis and stimulate production of plant constituents. Due to its simple structure and low price, VA could be used as a first-of-its-kind epigenetic elicitor which enhances the production of pharmacologically valuable plant metabolites.