Enhanced Aryltetralin Lignans Production in Adventi-Tious Root Cultures.

Lignans are the main secondary metabolites synthetized by species as plant defense molecules. They are also valuable for human health, in particular, for their potent antiviral and antineoplastic properties. In this study, the adventitious root cultures of three species (, and ) were developed to produce aryltetralin lignans. The effect of two elicitors, methyl jasmonate and coronatine, on aryltetralin lignans production was also evaluated. The adventitious root cultures from were obtained and analyzed for the first time and resulted as the best producer for all the aryltetralins highlighted in this system: Podophyllotoxin, 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin and 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin-7--β-glucoside, the last showing a productivity of 92.6 mg/g DW. The two elicitors differently affected the production of the 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin and 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin-7--β-glucoside.