Abstract
Shoot cultures of
Tamarix tetrandra capable of producing monomeric–tetrameric ellagitannins characteristic of tamaricaceous plants were investigated. The effects of light and the influences of manipulating nutrients in the medium on tissue growth and ellagitannin production were studied. The results showed that the copper level of the culture medium induces biosynthetically significant effects on individual tannin production. Micropropagation of
T.
tetrandra from obtained shoots was also achieved.
[Display omitted]
►
Tamarix tetrandra shoot cultures were established that produced various types of ellagitannins, specifically tetrameric and pentameric ellagitannins. ►
T. tetrandra cultured shoots accumulated a high amount of ellagitannins. ► They showed significant host-mediated antitumor activity in a previous study. ► A practical method for
in vitro propagation of
T. tetrandra was established.
Shoot cultures of
Tamarix tetrandra on Linsmaier–Skoog (LS) agar medium with 30
g
l
−1 sucrose, 2.13
mg
l
−1 indoleacetic acid and 2.25
mg
l
−1 benzyl adenine produced ellagitannins found in intact plants of the Tamaricaceae. This was demonstrated by the isolation of 14 monomeric–tetrameric ellagitannins from the aq. Me
2CO extract of the cultured tissues. This is the first report on the production of ellagitannin tetramers by plant tissue culture. The effects of light and certain medium constituents on tissue growth and ellagitannin production were examined. The contents of representative tannins of different types [i.e., tellimagrandin II (monomer), hirtellin A (linear GOG-type dimer), hirtellin B (hellinoyl-type dimer), hirtellin C (macrocyclic-type dimer), and hirtellin T1 (linear GOG-type trimer)] in the resultant tissues in response to these factors were estimated by HPLC, and the optimal condition for production of these tannins were established. Shoots cultured on LS hormone-free medium promoted root development, and regenerated plants could adapt to ordinary soil and climate. Acclimatized and intact
T. tetrandra plants that were collected in November and May, respectively, demonstrated seasonal differences in individual ellagitannin contents. HPLC comparison of individual ellagitannin contents in different plant materials (i.e., leaves, stems, and roots) of intact
T. tetrandra plants is also reported. The results are discussed with respect to cellular deposition and biosynthetic relationship of tannins.