S. Bergonon et al., GALANTHAMINE PRODUCTION IN SHOOT-CLUMP CULTURES OF NARCISSUS-CONFUSUSIN LIQUID-SHAKE MEDIUM, Plant cell, tissue and organ culture, 45(3), 1996, pp. 191-199
Galanthamine (GAL) is increasingly used in the treatment of Alzheimer'
s disease. We have attempted to develop a method of producing this alk
aloid using in vitro cultures of Narcissus confusus plants. The ''shoo
t-clump'' culture in liquid medium was shown to be an appropriate meth
od for the micropropagation of this bulbous plant. The complete proces
s included three steps: 1. culture of ''twin-scales'' starting from th
e bulbs; 2. culture of the newly formed shoots in a medium for bud pro
liferation (Murashige Skoog + lmg l(-1) of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic a
cid + 5 mg l(-1) of benzyladenine), and 3. culture of ''shoot-clumps''
in a liquid-shake medium. Here we describe the effect of the addition
of trans-cinnamic acid, a precursor in the biosynthesis of the Amaryl
lidaceae alkaloids, on the production of galanthamine and related alka
loids, and also on the growth of the ''shoot-clump'' culture. The prod
uction of galanthamine was found to be inhibited by the addition of th
e precursor, which promoted the production of the other alkaloid in th
e same biosynthetic pathway, N-formyl-norgalanthamine. The total produ
ction of galanthamine in the control cultures in day-long photoperiod
was 2.50 mg per culture, of which 1.97 mg per culture were released in
to the medium.