Effect of methionine on production of naphthoquinones in Impatiens balsamina root cultures and detection of some secondary metabolites

• Published in: Pharmaceutical biology Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 36 - 41
• Main Authors: Sakunphueak, A., Tansakul, P., Umehara, K., Noguchi, H., Panichayupakaranant, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa Healthcare 01.01.2013; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: 2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone; Culture Techniques; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; echinocystic acid; Flavonoids - isolation & purification; Impatiens - growth & development; Impatiens - metabolism; isofraxidin; Lawsone; luteolin; Methionine - administration & dosage; Methionine - pharmacology; Naphthoquinones - isolation & purification; p-hydroxybenzoic acid; phthalic acid; Plant Roots; scopoletin; spinasterol; Triterpenes - isolation & purification
• ISSN: 1388-0209; 1744-5116
• DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2012.703677

Context: Lawsone, lawsone methyl ether and 3,3′-methylelnebislawsone are the main active compounds of Impatiens balsamina L. (Balsaminaceae). These compounds possess various pharmacological activities that have been shown to assist with the treatment of skin diseases. Objective: This work focused on increased naphthoquinone production in I. basamina root cultures using methionine feeding. Materials and methods: I. balsamina root cultures were maintained in liquid Gamborg's B5 medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L α-naphthalene acetic acid, 0.1 mg/L kinetin, 1.0 mg/L 6-benzyladenine and 20 g/L sucrose. The effect of methionine concentration (50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 mg/L) on naphthoquinone production of I. basamina root cultures was determined. Isolation of secondary metabolites from I. balsamina root cultures was also carried out. Results and discussion: Feeding of 300 mg/L methionine to the root cultures at the beginning of the growth cycle increased the production of 3,3′-methylelnebislawsone almost two-fold (0.63 mg/g dry weight, compared to the control group 0.32 mg/g dry weight). Optimization of the feeding conditions showed that adding 500 mg/L methionine to a 21-day old root cultures increased production of lawsone methyl ether and 3,3′-methylenebislawsone up to 2.6- and 3.1-fold higher, respectively, compared to the controls. In addition, various pharmacologically interesting secondary metabolites were isolated from I. balsamina root cultures, such as a flavonoid, luteolin, a naphthoquinone, 2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, and a triterpenoid, echinocystic acid. This is the first report of the occurrence of these compounds in this plant.