The techniques for the cultivation of plant cells were developed in the fifties of the twentieth century., When he began to realize that the crops have the potential to produce a wide range of molecules useful in various areas, and currently many types of plant cells can be grown in test tubes. Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall rather rigid, consisting mainly of cellulose, which gives them a mechanical support, the shape and a permeability barrier. To them we must cultivate the cells treated with an enzyme called 'cellulase', which degrades the cellulose wall of the cell releasing 'naked', also called 'protoplast'. Protoplasts are grown in a culture medium with defined chemical composition, which supports the growth and division. The soil must contain between ingredients also plant hormones, such as auxins, essential for cell division . The cultured cells multiply and form a mass of undifferentiated cells said 'callus', from which, by appropriate stimulation, can originate roots, stalks, leaves and even a whole plant. The pharmaceutical industry uses vegetable crops in the production of anti-cancer drugs, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial; the agricultural sector for the production of pesticides; the food industry with regard to the synthesis of additives (eg., dyes).
