ROOT, CALLUS, AND CELL SUSPENSION CULTURES, FROM ATROPA BELLADONNA, L AND ATROPA BELLADONNA, CULTIVAR LUTEA DOLL

Root, callus, and cell suspension cultures have been established from seedlings of Atropa belladonna, L. and Atropa belladonna, cultivar lutea Döll. The growth of these cultures is described. Callus cultures transferred to auxin (α-naphthaleneacetic acid)-free medium initiated roots and shoots. Excised root cultures have been established from such roots and plants from such shoots. Extracts of the cultures have been submitted to the Vitali-Morin reaction and following chromatography, to the Dragendorff reaction. Cultured excised roots and plants raised from shoots initiated on cultured callus were shown to contain atropine (hyoscyamine) and reactive substances corresponding in Rf to hyoscine and cuscohygrine. These alkaloids were absent from cultured callus and cultured cell suspensions and from leaves when initiated without roots on callus. The cultured calluses and cell suspensions contained choline (0.022-0.027 g per 100 g dry weight of root callus). The growth of cell suspension cultures was not inhibited by incorporating atropine sulphate, L-hyoscyamine, L-hyoscine hydrobromide, or DL-scopoline nitrate in the culture medium at 250 mg/I. These alkaloids were absorbed by the cells, a high proportion of the added alkaloid could be recovered from the cultures even after 4 weeks' growth and no evidence was obtained of the presence of degradation products of the alkaloids. The suppression of alkaloid formation in actively growing callus and cell suspension cultures is discussed. © 1969 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.