Enhanced production of taxol in suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis by controlling inoculum size

Inoculum size (1.5-6.0g dry weight/l) significantly affected cell growth and accumulation of intracellular and extracellular taxol in Taxus chinensis. A shorter cultivation time and a higher biomass productivity were achieved using inoculum size of 6.0g DW/l. Both the intracellular content and total production of taxol were increased almost 30% with an increase of inoculum size from 1.5 to 3.0g DW/l, while an even higher inoculum size decreased taxol formation. The extracellular taxol concentration was relatively higher (0.091mg/l) at low inoculum sizes of 1.5 and 2.0g DW/l; and in various cases it was less than 25% of the total amount of taxol produced.     

Enhancement of taxol production and release in Taxus chinensis cell cultures by ultrasound,methyl jasmonate and in situ solvent extraction

This study evaluates the use of a novel mechanical stimulus, ultrasound (US), and a putative chemical elicitor, methyl jasmonate (MJ), combined with in situ solvent extraction (two-phase culture), to enhance taxol production by Taxus chinensis cells in suspension culture. The volumetric taxol yield was increased 1.5- to 1.8-fold with 2 min US treatment once or twice during a 4-week culture period, about 5-fold with 60-120 microM MJ, and 7- to 9-fold by in situ solvent extraction of taxol with dibutyl phthalate (DBP) (11% v/v). The percent of extracellular taxol or taxol release was also significantly increased. The combined use of US (day 5 or 9) and MJ treatment (day 7) resulted in taxol yields 20-50% higher than each of the treatments used alone. The most favorable strategy for taxol production was the application of US or MJ treatment, followed by in situ solvent extraction, giving rise to a taxol yield of 33-35 mg/l, about 17-fold higher than the control, at 1.9 mg/l. It was found that the organic solvent DBP, as well as US and MJ, stimulated the enzyme activity of secondary metabolic pathways, which was partially responsible for the enhanced taxol production.     

Studies on Cell Suspension Culture and Fermentation Culture in Arnebia euchroma

This paper reports some characteristics of cell suspension and fermentation culture in Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst. The yield of suspension culture reached 22.0g dry wt/L per month when inoculum quantity was 2.50 g dry wt/L. Time-course study showed that cell growith lagged in 0–3 days and enhanced greatly in 3–12 days, and almost ceased after 12 days of culture, pH value changed during the culture period and peaked on the 12th day after inoculation. When cells were cultured in liquid production medium, the contents of shikonin derivatives increased quickly and reached to the maximum about the 25th day. The cell yield of 9.47 and 9.34 g dry wt/L per month was obtained in fermentation culture. Timecourse of cell growth in fermentation culture was similar to that in suspension culture. The total content of shikonin derivatives in fermentation culture was 14.26% dry weight from 10 L bioreactor. The yield of shikonin derivatives was 1.93 g/L.     

Enhanced taxol production and release in Taxus chinensis cell suspension cultures with selected organic solvents and sucrose feeding

Suspension culture of Taxus chinensis cells was carried out in aqueous-organic two-phase systems for the production and in situ solvent extraction of taxol (paclitaxel). Three organic solvents, hexadecane, decanol, and dibutylphthalate, were tested at 5-20% (v/v) in the culture liquid. All of these solvents stimulated taxol release and the yield per cell, though decanol and higher concentrations of the other two solvents depressed biomass growth significantly. Ten percent dibutylphthalate was the optimal solvent for improving taxol production and release with minimal cell growth inhibition. The time of solvent addition to the culture also affected taxol production, with the addition during the late-log growth phase being most favorable. By feeding sucrose to the culture near the stationary growth phase, the cell growth and taxol production period was extended from 27 to 42 days. The combining of the two-phase culture and sucrose feeding increased the taxol yield by about 6-fold compared with the single-phase batch culture, to 36.0 +/- 3.5 mg/L, with up to 63% taxol released. This study shows that in situ solvent extraction combined with nutrient feeding is an effective process strategy for production and recovery of secondary metabolites in plant cell suspension culture.     

Rosmarinic acid production in perfused Anchusa officinalis culture: Effect of inoculum size

Summary High cell density and rosmarinic acid (RA) productivity have been achieved by applying periodic culture perfusion to the Anchusa officinalis cell suspension. In this study, the effect of inoculum size on cell growth and RA productivity in the perfused Anchusa culture was investigated. Experimental results showed that RA productivity increased with the inoculum size, up to 4 g dry weight/L. Further increases in the inoculum size did not yield a higher RA productivity regardless of culture perfusion. Moreover, the maximum cell concentration was not affected by the inoculum sizes, from 1 to 11 g dry weight/L. Cell crowding, indicated by high culture packed cell volumes, is believed to be the predominant cause of low productivity in perfused cultures with high inoculum sizes.     

Kinetics of taxol production, growth, and nutrient uptake in cell suspensions of Taxus cuspidata

Cell culture of Taxus cuspidata may represent an alternative to extraction of bark as a source of taxol and related taxanes. Cell suspensions of a cell line of T. cuspidata were grown for 44 days in shake flasks containing B5C2 medium. Throughout the growth cycle, fresh and dry weight accumulation, taxol yield on a dry weight basis, taxol accumulation in the medium, pH and pigmentation variation in the medium, as well as the uptake of sucrose, glucose, fructose, nitrate, and inorganic phosphate from the culture medium were examined. The results showed that the growth was relatively slow (doubling times of 17 and 20 days for fresh and dry weight, respectively), and taxol accumulation in the cells was non-growth related (higher in the stationary phase) and at relatively low levels (up to 4 mug/g of the extracted dry weight). Taxol concentration in the medium had two peaks: one during the early (0.4mug/mL) and another during the late (0.1-mug/mL) parts of the growth cycle. On a volumetric basis, the average total amount of taxol produced during the stationary phase (day 38) was 0.15 mug/mL, of which approximately 66% was in the medium and 34% was in the cells. Total carbohydrate uptake was closely associated with the increase in dry biomass. Sucrose was apparently extracellularly hydrolyzed after the first 6 days of culture; glucose was used before fructose. Nitrate was assimilated throughout the growth cycle, but phosphate was absorbed within the first week of culture. The pH variation showed an initial drop followed by a trend toward alkalinization for most of the growth period. Dark pigmentation in the medium increased progressively, particularly during the stationary phase. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Comparison of culture methods for human-human hybridomas secreting anti-HBsAg human monoclonal antibodies

Human-human hybridomas which secrete a human monoclonal antibody (h-MoAb) against hepatitis B virus surface antigen showed growth associated production kinetics. The rate of h-MoAb production rapidly decreased after cell growth was arrested in a perfusion culture, even if the perfusion rate was increased. A continuous suspended-perfusion culture, in which both culture broth and culture supernatant are continuously harvested and the same volume of fresh medium is continuously fed into the reactor, was developed to maintain continuous growing conditions during cultivation. In this culture system, the production of h-MoAb continued for more than 50 days with an average productivity of 5.0 mg/l of working volume/day. A semicontinuous immobilized-perfusion culture in which parts of the cells are repeatedly removed from the immobilized reactor was another useful technique for the long term cultivation of these h-h hybridomas. As an average h-MoAb production rate, 62 mg/l of immobilized-bed volume/day was achieved for 65 days of cultivation using a ceramic matrix reactor, and 327 mg/l/day was achieved over 47 days of cultivation using a hollow fiber reactor equipped with Cultureflo M^TM Thus, the antibody productivity per reactor volume per day by the semicontinuous immobilized-perfusion culture was much higher than that of the continuous perfusion culture in an agitation reactor.     

Stimulation of taxol production and excretion in Taxus spp cell cultures by rare earth chemical lanthanum

The trivalent ion of a rare earth element, lanthanum, was tested for elicitor-like effects on taxol production in suspension cultures of four different Taxus spp cells. In T. yunnanensis cell cultures, the lanthanum ion at concentrations from 1.15 to 23.0 microM stimulated taxol production. The lanthanum ion also promoted taxol excretion by the T. yunnanensis cells considerably. The maximum stimulation of taxol production was achieved by the addition of 5.8 microM La3+ to the culture during mid-log growth phase, increasing the volumetric taxol yield by nearly threefold, from 2.61+/-0.37 to 9.89+/-1.92 mg l(-1) over a 28 day culture period. At higher concentrations, i.e. 23.1 and 46.2 microM, however, the lanthanum ion caused significant growth inhibition. For the other three Taxus cell lines, namely an embryo and a leave cell of T. chinensis and a stem cell of T. chinensis marv, the addition of lanthanum ion to the culture only had a significant effect on taxol production by the T. chinensis marv stem cells, increasing the volumetric yield by about threefold to 4.69+/-0.76 mg l(-1). These results suggest that lanthanum has elicitor-like effects on secondary metabolite synthesis of plant cell cultures.     

Vitex glabrata R.Br.悬浮培养细胞的生长条件优化及20-羟基蜕皮激素的生产

研究了培养基、植物生长调节素以及接种量对Vitex glabrata R.Br.悬浮培养细胞的生长情况以及对20-羟基蜕皮激素形成的作用。当细胞在添加有2.0mg/LBAP(6-苯甲酸嘌呤)和1.0mg/L2,4-D的Gamborg’s B5培养基中培养时细胞生长和20-羟基蜕皮激素的形成达到了最高水平。当接种量为20%PCV(积压细胞体积)时观察到了20-羟基蜕皮激素的最高产量,大约是1.1mg/(L.d)。实验数据也表明当接种量增加到20%PCV时,产量提高了7倍。     

真菌诱导子对悬浮培养南方红豆杉细胞态势及紫杉醇合成的影响

在南方红豆杉细胞悬浮培养过程中,研究了在指数生长期的末期加入真菌诱导子(尖孢镰刀菌的胞壁组分粗提物)对细胞态势及紫杉醇合成的影响。结果表明,真菌诱导子能在短期内激发细胞的防御性应答反应而产生氧迸发,细胞的氧化还原态势发生了明显的变化,培养基发生碱化现象,表征酶含量的蛋白质含量明显提高,SOD、POD、CAT的活力出现波动性变化,并具有一定的时序性。同时,南方红豆杉悬浮培养体系中产次生代谢途径中重要的酶PAL的活力得到提高,紫杉醇的合成被加强,产量得到了显著提高,达到了对照组的5倍左右。     

Salicylic acid-induced taxol production and isopentenyl pyrophosphate biosynthesis in suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis var. mairei

The influences of salicylic acid (SA) on taxol production and isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) biosynthesis pathways in suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis var. mairei were investigated by adding SA and mevastatin (MVS), a highly specific inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase in the mevalonate pathway for IPP biosynthesis, into the culture systems. The cell death and taxol production were induced upon the introduction of SA, and 20mg/l was proved to be the optimal SA concentration in terms of the less damage to Taxus cells and marked activation of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL). In the coexistence of SA (20mg/l) and MVS (100 nmol/l), the taxol content (1.626 mg/g dry wt) was higher than that (0.252 mg/g dry wt) of the MVS-treated system but almost equal to that (1.581 mg/g dry wt) of the SA-treated system. It is thus inferred that the activated non-mevalonate pathway should be responsible for the formation of IPP in taxol biosynthesis in the presence of SA.     

Berberine production by batch and semi-continuous cultures of immobilized Thalictrum cells in an improved bioreactor

A new bioreactor (liquid-gas two-phase system) was devised for berberine-secreting Thalictrum minus cells immobilized in calcium alginate beads, which were alternately soaked in medium, and exposed to air. The highest yield of berberine (875 mg/l) was obtained by setting the cycle of medium supply and air supply for 30 seconds and 2 minutes, respectively, during a culture period of 30 days. Under such conditions of batch culture, the berberine productivity of immobilized cells was as high as that of freely suspended cells. Furthermore, the rate of berberine production by immobilized cells remained constant at a high value (50 mg/l/day) for a period of 60 days of semi-continuous culture achieved by renewal of medium at intervals of 10 days.     

Paclitaxel production is enhanced in suspension‐cultured hazel (Corylus avellana L.) cells by using a combination of sugar,precursor, and elicitor

Hazel (Corylus avellana L.) has recently been drawing attention as an alternative source of taxol. In the present study, the effects of sugar type, and different concentrations of phenylalanine (Phe) and vanadyl sulfate (V) on the production of taxol in C. avellana were investigated. A factorial experiment was used to optimize the concentrations of the precursor and elicitor. The cells were treated with Phe and V on the fourth day of culture and were harvested every 2 days until the 10th day. By increasing the Phe and V supply, taxol production increased during the culture period and the maximum level of 4.2 μg/g (dry weight) was obtained at day 10 by combining 3 μM of Phe and 0.05 and 0.1 mM of V in media supplemented with fructose (3%). The time course study on taxol production suggested that the appropriate time for using Phe is day 4 of culture, and day 8 for V. Overall, taxol production in C. avellana cell suspension culture was improved by the use of the combined strategy.     

果糖和前体物质对紫杉醇生物合成的影响

研究了果糖和几种前体物质对东北红豆杉生产紫杉醇的影响,结果表明,在第12d加入6g/L果糖可以使紫杉醇产量增加63.89％,在糖协同的作用下,加入前体（0.05mmol/L乙酸钠,0.05mmol/L苯丙氨酸,0.1mmol/L苯甲酸钠）可显著提高紫杉醇的合成,同对照相比,含量分别增加49.36%、13.18%和64.26%,在第15d向培养基中加入0.05 mmol/L乙酸钠、0.1mmol/L苯甲酸钠、1mmol/L苯丙氨酸和6g/L果糖则使紫杉醇含量提高181.89％。     

Optimizing production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in Marchantia polymorpha cell suspension culture

Chlorophyll containing callus cells of Marchantia polymorpha are able to grow under dim illumination in the presence of an organic carbon source and retain the ability to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), including C(20) fatty acids. Highest PUFA production was achieved using 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as growth regulator. Inoculum size, illumination intensity, organic carbon source, and ferrous ion are the major factors affecting PUFA productivity. Maximum PUFA productivity is attained under low light intensity, with a photon flux density ca. 20 micromol m(-2) s(-1). Optimal inoculum size and glucose concentration for PUFA production are 8-12% and 20-30 g l(-1), respectively. Ferrous ion can promote PUFA productivity by increasing the intracellular lipid content. Highest productivities for PUFA, arachidonic acid (ARA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were 35.0+/-2.1, 6.7+/-0.4 and 6.6+/-0.4 mg l(-1) day(-1), respectively. PUFA production in the M. polymorpha culture is shown to be strongly growth-associated. Environmental stress (osmotic pressure) is ineffective in promoting PUFA productivity. Chitosan, an elicitor, also has no effect on intracellular PUFA content in cultured M. polymorpha cells.     

Enhancement of Cephalosporin C production by cultivation of Cephalosporium acremonium M25 using a mixture of inocula

AIMS: To enhance the productivity of Cephalosporin C (CPC) by cultivation of Cephalosporium acremonium M25 using a mixture of inocula. METHODS AND RESULTS: Inoculum age was classified into three stages (early, intermediate and late) by image analysis. A mixture of inocula, according to the inoculum ages, was used for efficient production of CPC in the main culture. The most effective mixing ratio of inocula for CPC production in shake flasks was a 3 : 7 volume ratio of early- and late-stage inocula. This was also the case in a 1.5 l stirred-tank reactor. CPC productivity was enhanced by about 32% and 34% when using an inoculum mixture in the shake flask and 1.5 l stirred-tank reactor, respectively. CONCLUSION: The morphological characteristics of C. acremonium M25 in the seed culture were quite different according to inoculum age. The compromise of different ages of inoculum showed better production of CPC. Significance and Impact of the Study: The productivity of CPC was enhanced considerably when using mixed inocula. The results of this study can be applied to fungal cultures for efficient production of various metabolites.     

Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) production by a high density culture of weakly adherent human embryonic kidney cells using a polyurethane-foam packed-bed culture system

Weakly adherent cells of the 293 line attached well to the internal surface of polyurethane foam (PUF) and grew to the high density of 6.83 × 10⁷ cells/cm³ PUF in stationary culture. The maximum productivity of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) was 0.158 IU/10⁶ cells per day. The productivity decreased at the stationary phase of cell growth, so we designed a PUF-plate packed-bed culture system for high density culture and continuous production of t-PA. A maximal cell density of 3.24 × 10⁷ cells/cm³ PUF and a t-PA productivity of 0.326 IU/10⁶cells per day were obtained in 25-day perfusion cultures. Although the cell density decreased to half that in PUF stationary culture, the t-PA productivity increased twofold and was maintained for 25 culture days.     

A perfusion–cell bleeding culture strategy for enhancing the productivity of eicosapentaenoic acid by Nitzschia laevis

A perfusion-cell bleeding culture strategy was developed for enhancing the productivity of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) by the diatom Nitzschia laevis. As the strategy combined the concepts of continuous culture and perfusion culture, it allowed continuously and simultaneously harvesting the algal cells and removing inhibitory compounds during the cultivation. Compared with a single operation of continuous culture, the perfusion-cell bleeding culture greatly enhanced the steady-state biomass concentration, biomass productivity, EPA yield, EPA productivity and glucose utilization efficiency. The perfusion-cell bleeding culture also allowed higher biomass productivity and EPA productivity than the single perfusion culture did. At a bleeding rate of 0.67 day(-1) and a perfusion rate of 0.6 day(-1), the EPA productivity achieved 175 mg l(-1) day(-1), which is the highest ever reported in microalgal cultures.     

Enhancement of Taxol production and excretion in Taxus chinensis cell culture by fungal elicitation and medium renewal

An endophytic fungus, Aspergillus niger, isolated from the inner bark of a Taxus chinensis tree, was used as an elicitor to stimulate the Taxol (paclitaxel) production in a Taxus chinensis cell suspension culture. Different elicitor doses and elicitation times were tested in a batch culture; and the highest volumetric Taxol yield was achieved when 40 mg of the fungal elicitor (carbohydrate equivalent) l(-1) was added to the culture during the late exponential-growth phase. The elicitation resulted in a more than two-fold increase in the Taxol yield and about a six-fold increase in total secretion. The Taxol yield was further improved substantially by applying medium renewal and re-elicitation to the culture. In particular, with repeated medium renewal (in a way similar to medium perfusion) and a second elicitation of the culture, the volumetric Taxol yield was increased to 67.1+/-7.5 mg l(-1), which was about seven times the amount obtained in the non-elicited batch culture. The Taxol productivity of the perfusion-like culture with repeated fungal elicitation was 1.5 mg l(-1) day(-1), which was about 40% higher than that of the elicitor-treated batch culture and three times the productivity of the non-elicited batch culture.     

Application of a serum-free medium for the growth of Vero cells and the production of reovirus

Two strains of reovirus (serotype 1 Lang/TIL and serotype 3 Dearing/T3D) were propagated in Vero cells grown in stationary or agitated cultures in a serum-free medium, M-VSFM. Solid microcarriers (Cytodex-1) were used to support cell growth in agitated cultures with a normal doubling time of 25 h. Cell yields of 1 x 10(6) cells/mL were obtained from an inoculum of 2 x 10(5) cells/mL in 4 days in microcarrier cultures. The growth profile and cell yield was not significantly different from serum-supplemented cultures. The virus titer increased by 3-4 orders of magnitude over a culture period of 150 h. The maximum virus titer in stationary cultures reached >1 x 10(9) pfu/mL for both strains of reovirus in M-VSFM. M-VSFM also supported high viral yields in microcarrier cultures. Both the specific productivity and final viral yield was higher in M-VSFM than serum-supplemented cultures. The high viral productivity suggests that this is a suitable system for the production of reovirus as an oncolytic agent for human therapeutic use.