[Improvement of artemisinin production in hairy roots culture of Artemisia annua L. by Staphylococcus aureus]

Artemisinin is an important plant secondary metabolite with anti-malaria, antiviral and anti-cancer properties. In recent years many efforts have been made to improve artemisinin production through plant tissue culture [such as hairy roots]. In this study, the effects of Staphylococcus aureus on artemisinin production in hairy roots of Artemisia aureus were investigated. Agrobacterium rhizogenes; strains A7 and Ar318 were used for the root induction. Two explants types were prepared, the first was leaf explants cut from both side [explant 1] and the second was, stems which cut from node [explant 2]. The bacterial suspensions [A7 and Ar318] were inoculated at the wounding site of explants I and node explants 2. Transgenic nature of hairy roots was confirmed by amplification of rolB gene in polymerase chain reaction [PCR]. Gas chromatography [GC] was conducted to determine artemisinin production. About 5 to 10 days after inoculation by A7, hairy roots were appeared at the wounding sites of explants 2. Strain Ar318 could not induce any hairy roots. Also, after treatment with Agrobacterium suspensions, hairy roots were not induced in the explants I and explants were necrotic. The artemisinin content in the hairy roots treated with S. aureus suspension was 0.063, 0.133, 0.046 and 0.043 mg/g DW, respectively. Results show that various factors such as type of explants and Agrobacterium strains were effective in hairy roots induction. It seems that Staphylococcus aureus is stimulating the production of artemisinin in hairy roots of Artemisia annua

[Review on new techniques in tropane alkaloids production]

Increasing from day to day tendency of human societies to plant based drug usage increased demand of secondary metabolite application. Although artificial production of these compounds greatly progressed, but the only way to achieve these fine medicinal compounds has been to extract them from plant resources. Alkaloid field, although very old, is still in its infancy with regard to being fully understood, and biotechnologically exploited. Up to now, approximately 5000 different alkaloids, in 15% of plants that belong to 150 families, have been recognized, that tropane alkaloids such as hyosyamine, scopolamine, atropine and cocaine, with a broad medical usage are a class of them. Industrial tropane alkaloid production by modern techniques such as cell and tissue culture, somatic hybridization, metabolic engineering and commercial large scale culture, is highly concerned nowadays and in this review, the authors have tried to point out some of the results obtained by application of these techniques