Xanthones and secoiridoids from hairy root cultures of Centaurium erythraea and C. pulchellum.

Shoots of Centaurium erythraea and C. pulchellum were inoculated with suspension of Agrobacterium rhizogenes cells, strain A4M70GUS. Five clones of C. erythraea hairy roots (A-E) and three clones of C. pulchellum hairy roots (F-H) were selected according to morphological differences. Spontaneous bud initiation occurred in clones C, D, G and H. Hairy roots retained the capacity for xanthone biosynthesis, with some variation being observed between individual clones. The concentration of xanthones in hairy roots was higher than that in naturally occurring plants. In transgenic plants both, secoiridoid and xanthone compounds were detected.