Improvement of atropine production by different biotic and abiotic elicitors in hairy root cultures of Datura metel

Abstract

Hairy roots induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes are distinguished by their high growth rate, genetic stability, and lateral branching. Datura metel is an important medicinal plant whose hairy roots are used for the production of atropine, a tropane alkaloid applied as an anticholinergic and parasympathetic agent. To increase the yield of atropine, biotic (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and abiotic (AgNO 3 and nanosilver) elicitors were added to the hairy root cultures of D. metel and then analyzed through highperformance liquid chromatography. All the elicitors influenced biomass accumulation and atropine production. Among the tested elicitors, nanosilver was most effective in enhancing the hairy roots' atropine content. To the authors' knowledge, the application of nanosilver for increasing tropane alkaloid production is reported for the first time here and could improve the atropine production of pharmaceutical industries.

Tropane and Granatane Alkaloid Biosynthesis: A Systematic Analysis

“…Contrary to this, atropine content in the hairy roots of D. metel infected by B. cereus and S. aureus was reduced more than half when compared to the control. The authors hypothesize that this may be a cause of atropine secretion into the culture medium that was then converted into scopolamine (3) [10]. However, scopolamine (3) was not analyzed in the spent media.…”

“…TAs have been observed to attach to and inhibit muscarinic acetylcholine receptors [9]. TAs found in the Solanaceae are well known for both their anticholinergic and antispasmodic properties that affect the parasympathetic nervous system [10][11][12]. These plants have been used for pain relief, anesthesia, and as a treatment for drug addiction [10].…”

“…TAs found in the Solanaceae are well known for both their anticholinergic and antispasmodic properties that affect the parasympathetic nervous system [10][11][12]. These plants have been used for pain relief, anesthesia, and as a treatment for drug addiction [10]. Daturae Flos, the dried flowers of Datura metel also known as "yangjinhua" in China, has been utilized and recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as an anesthetic and was prescribed to treat cough, asthma and convulsions [13].…”

“…Biotic elicitors, such as yeast extract, bacteria, fungi and viruses, as well as abiotic elicitors, such as metal ions or inorganic components, are used and studied to increase the productivity of hairy roots. These elicitors can trigger different defense responses and phytoalexins in plants as well as improve the release of metabolites into the medium [10]. Shakeran et al focused on using Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus as biotic elicitors and silver nitrate and nanosilver as abiotic elicitors on the hairy root cultures of D. metel to see their effects on biomass and atropine production.…”

“…A proposed alternative route includes the decarboxylation of ornithine (10) to form the polyamine putrescine (14) as the first step [59,60]. Feeding studies of radioactively labeled ornithine-2-14 C have shown that several Datura species incorporate a nonsymmetrical intermediate [59].…”