THE CONTENT AND COMPOSITION OF ECDYSTEROIDS IN PLANTS AND TISSUE-CULTURES OF SERRATULA-CORONATA

Several phytoecdysteroids were detected in Serratula coronata plants. Among them were 20-hydroxyecdysone, inokosterone, makisterone A, and e cdysone. The highest level of ecdysteroids was found in young, activel y growing leaves during the vegetative stage, as well as in leaves and flower stalks during the stage of flower bud formation. The content o f ecdysteroids was compared in field-grown plants, plants grown in vit ro, and in callus cultures derived from the latter. 20-Hydroxyecdysone , inokosterone, and ecdysone were present in callus cultures; makister one A was not detected; and an unidentified metabolite, absent from in tact plants, was found as a predominant component. The total content o f ecdysteroids in the callus tissues, about 0.1-0.2% of dry wt, was hi gher than that in plants grown in vitro, but lower than in field-grown plants. It was demonstrated that the biosynthetic ability of these ca llus tissues did not depend on the epigenetic pattern of explants, but was determined by their genotypes.