Tissue Culture of Rhubarb and Isolation of Sennosides from the Callus

Abstract

The cultivation of callus derived from a hybrid of rhubarb between Rheum palmatum and Rh. coreanum was studied to produce the purgative principles, sennosides. The callus formed in 100% from the cut seedlings on the Murashige-Skoog (MS) medium containing sucrose, 2,4-D and kinetin in the dark at the temperature 21 °C. The effects of plant hormones and sugar components in the medium and the modes of cultivation on the growth rates of callus were studied with regard to the production of sennosides. The cell and colony selection of callus was performed to increase the yield of sennosides. The cultivation of the selected callus in the MS medium containing maltose (20 g/l), IAA (1 ppm) and 4PU-30 (1 ppm) in the dark showed the best result in producing sennosides A and B.