Effect of Precursors on Growth and Alkaloid Production in Chinchona ledgeriana Leaf-Shoot Organ Cultures

Abstract

The alkaloid contents of the serially propagated Cinchona ledgeriana leaf-shoot organ cultures that were fed with various precursors, were compared to the control cultures that were grown in Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with 5 mg/l benzyladenine. the average total alkaloid content of the 8-week-old leaf-shoot cultures increased approximately 66% with tryptopnan; 42% with secologanin; 5% with strictosidine-type, and decreased 10% with methoxystrictosidine-type alkaloid intermediates. The radioactive precursors: L-[3′-¹⁴ C]-tryptophan was incorporated into cinchonidine (0.04%), cinchonine (0.01%), quinidine (0.01%), and quinine (0.08%); [5-¹⁴ C]-10-strictosidine-HCl was incorporated into cinchonidine (0.01%), cinchonine (0.003%), quinidine (0.003%), and quinine (0.005%); and [5-¹⁴ C]-10-methoxystrictosidine·HCl was incorporated equally (0.01%) into quinidine and quinine.