ENHANCED RELEASE OF ROSMARINIC ACID FROM COLEUS-BLUMEI PERMEABILIZED BY DIMETHYL-SULFOXIDE (DMSO) WHILE PRESERVING CELL VIABILITY AND GROWTH

Continuous permeabilization of preconditioned Coleus blumei cells with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is shown to be an effective strategy for the enhanced release of rosmarinic acid (RA) while preserving cell viability. When non-preconditioned cells were permeabilized with DMSO, they lost their viability at DMSO concentrations higher than a critical value located between 0.1% and 0.5% DMSO. Product release was low [0.49 g RA/100 g dry cell weight (DCW)] at 0.1% DMSO. Preconditioning cells at 0.1% DMSO ensured high viability at DMSO concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%. Product release reached a maximum of 2.85 g RA/100 g DCW at 0.5% DMSO, which was 66.4% of the total rosmarinic acid produced.