ANTHRAQUINONE PRODUCTION BY CELL SUSPENSION CULTURES OF MORINDA CITRIFOLIA

Abstract

Callus tissue was initiated from Morinda citrifolia L. and maintained on solid media, as well as in flask suspension cultures, for more than four years. Cells grown in the presence of NAA showed a substantial production of anthraquinones while those grown with 2,4–D as the sole auxin source did, not¹. Quality and concentrations of different growth regulators were investigated for their ability to maintain cell growth and to support secondary product formation. The effect of nutritional factors such as carbohydrates, nitrogen, phosphate, vitamins etc. on growth and anthraquinone formation was studied. Growth patterns of cells in suspension were determined and correlated with product synthesis. Under optimal conditions, yields of anthraquinones in cell suspension cultures exceeded those of differentiated root tissue by a factor of 10 on a dry weight basis. Yields of 2.5 grams of anthraquinones per litre of medium were achieved, corresponding to an anthraquinone content of at least 10 % of the raw dry cell mass.