{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T14:20:33Z","timestamp":1789395633174,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789344000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antibiotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Although the potential of hairy roots in secondary metabolite including antimicrobal production has been demonstrated in many laboratories, the scale-up to industrial production might lead to undesired phenomena affecting the final products. Methods: Here, the hairy root cultures of a pilot plant was investigated for antimicrobial properties. Methanolic extract of Panax ginseng Mey., Leontopodium alpinum Cass., and Gynostemma pentaphyllum Thunb. that are slow-growing, hard-to-cultivate and endangered species, were tested for antimicrobial activity using isothermal microcalorimetry and the Kirby\u2013Bauer assay. Results: Antimicrobial effects were detected for P. ginseng and L. alpinum extract with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 3.6 mg\u00b7mL\u22121 and 15 mg\u00b7mL\u22121 respectively. G. pentaphyllum showed only minimal inhibition at high concentration and appeared to act as a prebiotic at sub-inhibitory concentrations instead. The Kirby\u2013Bauer assays supported these results. Conclusions: Industrial callus culture and hairy root production are a valuable alternative to the use of field-grown plants for the production of antimicrobials and other metabolites. Effects similar to those of their field-harvested counterpart described in many pharmacopeias were observed. Finally, isothermal microcalorimetry provides a valuable tool as it can rapidly, quantitatively and accurately monitor antimicrobial efficacy even in dark or cloudy samples.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics15090905","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T13:05:26Z","timestamp":1789391126000},"page":"905","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Hairy Roots Cultures from the Slow-Growing and Protected Panax ginseng, Leontopodium alpinum and Gynostemma pentaphyllum as an Alternative Source of Antimicrobials"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0659-755X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Olivier","family":"Braissant","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Hegenheimermattweg 167 B\/C, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Virginie","family":"Flury","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DXC RT AG, Gewerbestrasse 7a, CH-4147 Aesch, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muriel","family":"Jobin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DXC RT AG, Gewerbestrasse 7a, CH-4147 Aesch, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Sophie","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DXC RT AG, Gewerbestrasse 7a, CH-4147 Aesch, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"project-administration","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"67","article-title":"Hairy Root Cultures of Medicinal Trees: A Viable Alternative for Commercial Production of High-Value Secondary Metabolites","volume":"Volume 9788132216","author":"Siwach","year":"2013","journal-title":"Biotechnology: Prospects and Applications"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gutierrez-Valdes, N., H\u00e4kkinen, S.T., Lemasson, C., Guillet, M., Oksman-Caldentey, K.M., Ritala, A., and Cardon, F. 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