PHARMACEUTICALLY ACTIVE CELL BIOMASS GROWTH PATTERN UNDER CELL SUSPENSION CULTURE OF COMMIPHORA WIGHTII – A CRITICALLY ENDANGERED MEDICINAL PLANT

Abstract

One of the medicinal treasures of Indian Ayurveda is Commiphora wightii which is being used for treating many diseases due to the presence of an oleo-gum-resin (guggul gum) that is having a number of secondary metabolites which are bioactive principles for a number of medicinally important ayurvedic preparations. Over-exploitation of the plant for this resin led it to the verge of extinction and need to develop an alternative way to produce this guggul gum has become imperative. The present study was aimed to understand the behaviour and growth pattern of cell suspension culture of C. wightii, which can foster the way to produce secondary metabolites from in-vitro cultures or secondary metabolite rich cell biomass. For this, callus was initiated from immature embryos collected from seed raised mature plants and tissue culture raised mature plants on Gamborg’s B5 medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Cell suspension culture was established for both the samples in Gamborg’s B5 medium with 0.5 mg/l 2,4-D and hormone free medium. Study showed a comparable growth where good growth was observed in medium containing hormone than medium without hormone. In tissue culture raised plants highest biomass was observed on 27th day which is 17.3149 ± 0.71 gms in hormone supplemented medium while in hormone free medium highest biomass was obtained on 27th day which is 14.6219 ± 1.28 gms. Whereas in seed derived plants highest biomass produced in medium containing hormone was on 27th day that is 14.9060 ± 0.73 gms while in hormone free medium highest biomass was obtained on 27th day that is 11.2113 ± 0.74 gms.

Keywords

• cell biomass
• commiphora wightii
• fresh weight
• growth kinetics
• suspension culture.