The accumulation of pharmacologically active lignans: γ-schizandrin and deoxyschizandrin in agitating cultures of Chinese magnolia vine (Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill.) – preliminary results

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (Schisandraceae), is an East-Asian medicinal plant species which is known mostly of adaptogenic, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anticancer actions. Biological activity of the plant is attributed mostly to dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, called the schizandra lignans.

Shoot-differentiating callus solid cultures of this species established in our laboratory were capable of accumulation of some lignans. The aim of the next step of the study was to investigate the accumulation of these compounds in agitating shoot cultures. In the extracts from biomass the presence of two lignans, schizandrin and gomisin A was confirmed earlier. The accumulation of two other lignans: γ-schizandrin and deoxyschizandrin has been studied.

The agitating cultures were maintained on two variants of Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, differing in concentrations of the plant growth regulators (BAP and NAA [mg/l]: 2 and 2, and 3 and 1, respectively) under constant artificial light (4 W/m²), in Erlenmayer flasks on a rotary shaker at 140 rpm. Methanolic extracts of biomass and lyophilizates of media (collected after a 4-week growth cycles) were used to determine γ-schizandrin and deoxyschizandrin contents using an HPLC method.

Lignans were accumulated mostly in biomass extracts. The obtained amounts of deoxyschizandrin equaling on the tested MS medium variants 92.37 and 81.23 mg%, respectively. γ-Schizandrin was accumulated in many-fold lower quantities 15.77 and 10.68 mg%, respectively. The obtained amounts of deoxyschizandrin were higher than in fruits (60.72 mg%) and leaves (41.01 mg%) of native plant.

The established agitating cultures of S. chinensis can be proposed as a rich potential source of deoxyschizandrin.