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

This work demonstrates the presence of hyoscyamine and scopolamine at different stages of shoot regeneration from non-organogenic and organogenic calli. The 11-week-old non-organogenic calli contained 0.41+/-0.03 and 0.23+/-0.02 microg g(-1) dry wt hyoscyamine and scopolamine respectively. However, no root meristem was found in the calli. The alkaloids were absent in 2-week-old organogenic calli. The shoot-buds induced on the non-organogenic and organogenic calli did not contain these alkaloids. Hyoscyamine and scopolamine contents of the 6-week-old non-rooted shoots regenerated from non-organogenic calli were 7.8+/-0.1 and 6.5+/-0.4 microg g(-1) dry wt respectively and those in the 9-week-old non-rooted shoot regenerated from organogenic calli were 38.5+/-0.4 and 3.6+/-0.1 microg g(-1) dry wt respectively. Hyoscyamine and scopolamine contents of the 4-week-old roots regenerated from non-organogenic and organogenic calli were higher than those in the non-rooted shoots. Since the presence of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in the non-rooted shoot depends on the stage of differentiation, manipulation of culture environment may improve hyoscyamine and scopolamine contents of the non-rooted shoots.