Dicentrine production in cell suspensions and hairy root cultures of Stephania suberosa

Abstract

Introduction: Stephania suberosa Forman is the herbal climber plants with very large tuber. Dicentrine, aporphine alkaloids, is the bioactive compound that was found in tuberous root of S. suberosa with various pharmacological activities like acetylcholinesterase inhibition, antitumor effect and antiarrhythmic effect. However, S. suberosa tuber take a long time to growth therefore plant tissue culture technique is the optional approach for bioactive secondary metabolites production from S. suberosa with shorter than natural cultivated period and might be apply to the industrial scale production. Materials and Methods: In this study, S. suberosa cell suspensions were induced and hairy root cultures were established by Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Both cultures were elicited by yeast extract and methyl jasmonate to investigate their effect on dicentrine production. Results: After subculture into fresh media, approximately one month, cell suspensions and hairy root cultures of S. suberosa produced dicentrine average range 0.2 – 1.5 and 4.5 – 8.9 mg/g dry weight, respectively. In cell suspensions, yeast extract and methyl jasmonate did not improve dicentrine production except yeast extract at concentration 0.1 mg/ml in day 9 which increased dicentrine more 1.2 time than control group. To compare with the control group in hairy root cultures of S. suberosa, yeast extract did not significantly affected dicentrine content but methyl jasmonate suppressed dicentrine production. Conclusion: To obtain the high dicentrine production, hairy root cultures of S. suberosa was suitable than cell suspension cultures. And elicitation with yeast extract only increase dicentrine in cell suspensions of S. suberosa while methyl jasmonate suppressed dicentrine production in both cell suspensions and hairy root cultures of S. suberosa.