Biosynthesis of Salvia specialized metabolites and biotechnological approaches to increase their production

In this chapter, the occurrence and tissue distribution of specialized metabolites in several Salvia species, especially flavonoids and diterpenoids, is reviewed along with recent advances in the understanding of biosynthetic pathways as well as regulatory mechanisms leading to their biosynthesis. We will focus on the recent biotechnological approaches aimed at enhancing the final biomass and metabolite accumulation in Salvia cell and tissue cultures. Advances in metabolic engineering strategies will be also summarized, reporting relevant and successful results and potential pitfalls, in order to provide valuable perspectives for developing cell and tissue cultures as a reliable and standardized biomass platform for the extraction of Salvia bioactive metabolites.