Production of ajmalicine and ajmaline in hairy root cultures of Rauvolfia micrantha Hook f., a rare and endemic medicinal plant

Hairy roots of Rauvolfia micrantha were induced from hypocotyl explants of 2-3 weeks old aseptic seedlings using Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC 15834. Hairy roots grown in half-strength Murashige & Skoog ( MS) medium with 0.2 mg indole 3-butyric acid l(-1) and 0.1 mg a-naphthaleneacetic acid l(-1) produced more ajmaline (0.01 mg g(-1) dry wt) and ajmalicine (0.006 mg g(-1) dry wt) than roots grown in auxin-free medium. Ajmaline (0.003 mg g(-1) dry wt) and ajmalicine (0.0007 mg g(-1) dry wt) were also produced in normal root cultures. This is the first report of production of ajmaline and ajmalicine in hairy root cultures of Rauvolfia micrantha.