Selection of fungal elicitors to increase indole alkaloid accumulation in catharanthus roseus suspension cell culture.

Various fungal elicitors derived from 12 fungi were tested to improve indole alkaloid production in Catharanthus roseus cell suspension cultures. Results show that different fungal mycelium homogenates stimulate different kinds of indole alkaloid (ajmalicine, serpentine and catharanthine) accumulation, which ranged from 2- to 5-fold higher than the control. Some fungal culture filtrates also efficiently elicited the biosynthesis of different indole alkaloids. The optimal elicitor addition and exposure time for the maximal alkaloid production were on day 7 after subculture and for 3 days of treatment but different fungal elicitors showed the different optimal treatment dosages. Additions of elicitor at the doses ranging from 5 mg/l to 30 mg/l of carbon hydrate equivalent resulted in varieous amounts and kinds of indole alkaloid accumulation. Exposed to a same fungal elicitor, several different cell lines generated the different responses regarding as growth rate, culture color and alkaloid production.