Enhancement of saponin production in Panax ginseng cell culture by osmotic stress and nutrient feeding

• Published in: Enzyme and microbial technology Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 133 - 138
• Main Authors: Wu, J.Y., Wong, K., Ho, K.P., Zhou, L.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01-01-2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Cell culture; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Nutrient feeding; Osmotic stress; Panax ginseng; Saponin; Cell culture; Nutrient feeding; Panax ginseng; Saponin; Osmotic stress; Osmolarity; Stress; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Production; Nutrient; Spermatophyta; Araliaceae
• ISSN: 0141-0229; 1879-0909
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2004.07.010

Osmotic stress at elevated osmotic pressure was used to stimulate saponin production in
Panax ginseng cell cultures. The addition of 0.3
M sorbitol to culture at the time of inoculation, raising the medium osmolality by about 75% (from 150 to 260
mmol/kg), enhanced the saponin accumulation but depressed the cell growth, resulting in no improvement of the volumetric saponin yield of culture. The feeding of sorbitol (0.2–0.3
M, 36.4–54.6
g/L) to culture during the stationary growth phase increased both the saponin content of cell (45–50%) and the volumetric yield (36–38%). With combined feeding of sorbitol (0.2
M) and growth nutrients, sucrose (30
g/L) + casein hydrolysate (0.5
g/L), about 2 days before the stationary phase, the volumetric saponin yield was increased 3.5-fold, 1130.8
mg/L versus the control culture of 251.2
mg/L. Sorbitol in the culture also induced two characteristic stress responses of plant cells, the increase in phenylalanine ammonium-lyase (PAL) activity and the production of reactive oxygen species. This suggests that the stimulated saponin accumulation was part of the cell response to the osmotic stress.