Influence of culture age and spermidine treatment on the accumulation of phenolic compounds in suspension cultures.

The influence of cell age on phenol accumulation was examined by determining the quantity of individual phenols which accumulated in Paul's scarlet rose cultures of increasing age. During log-phase growth (days 7 and 11), only gallic acid and epicatechin-catechin were detected; whereas, during early and late stationary phase (days 14 and 35), several other phenols were present in addition to gallic acid and epicatechincatechin. When stationary-phase cultures were provided with a supplement of sucrose and spermidine, a treatment previously shown to arrest the senescence of rose cultures (Muhitch, Edwards, Fletcher 1983 Plant Cell Rep 2: 82-84), the cells then accumulated a higher level and a wider assortment of phenols. These results suggest that extending the lifespan of mature nondividing cell cultures offers a means of increasing the yield of secondary products by cultured cells.