TROPANE ALKALOID PRODUCTION IN TRANSFORMED ROOT CULTURES OF BRUGMANSIA-CANDIDA

Transformed root cultures of Brugmansia candida were established by infection with Agrobacterium rhizogenes LBA 9402. Several clones with different growth index and tropane alkaloid pattern and content were obtained and two were examined in depth. The alkaloid content and pattern changed during the time course. At 21 days of culture clone 1 revealed an alkaloid spectrum dominated by 3alpha-acetoxytropane (about 50 % of the total alkaloid) and hyoscyamine (about 25 %), with a ratio of hyoscyamine to scopolamine of 11.2. In clone 40 this ratio was 1.5 and the content of 3alpha-acetoxytropane was low (2 %). The maximum concentrations of hyoscyamine were obtained at 3 weeks of culture, and were 700 and 500 mug/g FW in clone 1 and 40, respectively.