Tropane alkaloid production by shoot culture of Duboisia myoporoides R. Br.

This work demonstrates the presence of hyoscyamine and scopolamine at diffe rent stages of shoot regeneration from non-organogenic and organogenic call i. The 11-week-old non-organogenic calli contained 0.41 +/- 0.03 and 0.23 /- 0.02 mug g(-1) dry wt hyoscyamine and scopolamine respectively. However, no root meristem was found in the calli. The alkaloids were absent in 2-we ek-old organogenic calli. The shoot-buds induced on the non-organogenic and organogenic calli did not contain these alkaloids. Hyoscyamine and scopola mine contents of the 6-week-old non-rooted shoots regenerated from non-orga nogenic calli were 7.8 +/- 0.1 and 6.5 +/- 0.4 mug g(-1) dry wt respectivel y and those in the 9-week-old non-rooted shoot regenerated from organogenic calli were 38.5 +/- 0.4 and 3.6 +/- 0.1 mug g(-1) dry wt respectively. Hyo scyamine and scopolamine contents of the 4-week-old roots regenerated from non-organogenic and organogenic calli were higher than those in the non-roo ted shoots. Since the presence of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in the non-ro oted shoot depends on the stage of differentiation, manipulation of culture environment may improve hyoscyamine and scopolamine contents of the non-ro oted shoots. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.