cinnamyl alcohol

Abstract

Non-transformed wild type (NTWT) and hairy root cultures of Rhodiola kirilowii were grown in medium supplemented with 2.5 mM cinnamyl alcohol as a precursor and/or sucrose (1 %) on the day of inoculation or on the 14th day of culture. Rosarin, rosavin, and rosin were produced by NTWT root culture but only rosarin and rosavin by hairy roots. Approximately 80 and 95 % of the glycosides were released into the medium for NTWT and hairy root cultures, respectively. The highest rosavin yield, 505 ± 106 mg/l, was in hairy root culture when cinnamyl alcohol was applied on the day of inoculation with the addition of sucrose on the 14th day of culture. For rosin production, supplementation with cinnamyl alcohol alone on day 14 was more favourable with the highest amount 74 ± 10 mg/l in NTWT root culture. Only traces of rosarin were detected.

Enhancement of rosavin production

To enhance rosavin production, a cinnamyl alcohol (CA) and/or sucrose feeding strategy was applied. Four types of experiments were performed: (1) CA was added to the medium on the day of inoculation to give 2.5 mM; (2) CA (2.5 mM) was added to the medium on the day of inoculation and the medium was further supplemented with 1 %, (w/v) sucrose on the 14th day of culture; (3) CA (2.5 mM) was added to the medium on the 14th day of culture; (4) sucrose (1 %) and CA (2.5 mM) were both added on the 14th day of culture.

Enhancement of rosavin production

NTWT and hairy root cultures growing in unsupplemented medium were used as control cultures. Each experiment was performed in triplicate. Ten flasks were taken for each type of culture at the end of the 28 day growth cycle.