Production of coumarin compounds by Haplophyllum patavinum in vivo and in vitro

Native plants, calli and suspension cultures of Haplophyllum patapinum were found to produce several coumarin compounds, eight of which were identified as umbelliferone, scopoletin, 7-isoprenyloxy-coumarin, umbelliprenin, osthenol, columbianetin, angelicin and psoralen. Umbelliferone, angelicin and psoralen were found both in plant organs and in tissue cultures, scopoletin and umbelliprenin only in vivo, osthenol, 7-isoprenyloxycoumarin and columbianetin only in vitro conditions. The coumarin production in vitro was strongly affected by the cell strain. The co-occurrence of the linear and the angular furanocoumarins, psoralen and angelicin, had never been previously reported in the genus Haplophyllum. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.