The Increase of Triterpene Saponin Production Induced by Trans -Anethole in Hairy Root Cultures of Panax quinquefolium

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 23; no. 10; p. 2674
• Main Authors: Kochan, Ewa, Szymczyk, Piotr, Kuźma, Łukasz, Szymańska, Grażyna, Wajs-Bonikowska, Anna, Bonikowski, Radosław, Sienkiewicz, Monika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 17.10.2018; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Allylbenzene Derivatives; Anisoles - pharmacology; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Culture Media - chemistry; elicitation; hairy root cultures; Panax - growth & development; Panax - metabolism; Plant Roots - drug effects; Plant Roots - growth & development; Saponins - biosynthesis; Saponins - chemistry; trans-anethole; Triterpenes - chemistry; Triterpenes - metabolism; elicitation; hairy root cultures; trans-anethole
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules23102674

In vitro cultivation is an effective way to increase pharmaceutical production. To increase ginsenoside production in hairy root cultures of American ginseng, the present study uses -anethole as an elicitor. The content of nine triterpene saponins was determined: Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, Rg1, Rg2, Re and Rf. -anethole was found to stimulate saponin synthesis regardless of exposure time (24 and 72 h). Twenty-four hour exposure to 1 μmol -anethole in the culture medium resulted in the highest increase of total saponin content (twice that of untreated roots), and optimum accumulation of Rb-group saponins, with ginsenoside Rc dominating (8.45 mg g d.w.). In contrast, the highest mean content of protopanaxatriol derivatives was obtained for 10 μmol -anethole. The Re metabolite predominated, reaching a concentration of 5.72 mg g d.w.: a 3.9-fold increase over untreated roots. Elicitation with use of -anethole can therefore be an effective method of increasing ginsenoside production in shake flasks.