Effects of methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid on the production of bilobalide and ginkgolides in cell cultures of Ginkgo biloba

Summary In an attempt to increase productivity, the effects of the elicitors methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicylic acid (SA) on the production of bilobalide (B), ginkgolide A (GA), and ginkgolide B (GB) were studied in cell suspension cultures of Ginkgo biloba. MJ treatments increased the amounts of B, GA, and GB, concomitant with a slight decrease in cell growth. After treatment of 0.01 mM MJ, levels of GA and GB increased 4.3-and 8.2-fold over controls by 12 h and declined after 24h. The 1.0mM MJ treatment produced a maximal release of B after 12h of exposure and increased the concentration of B in the culture medium up to 6.25-fold compared with the controls. Treatment with 1.0mM SA transiently enhanced GA and GB production up to 3.1-and 6.1-fold, respectively, compared with the control. However, treatment 1.0 mM SA did not have a significant effect on B production. When treated with 0.01 mM SA, the level of B in the cells was increased 5.4-fold over controls by 12h and declined after 24h. The concentrations and exposure times of both MJ and SA were factors that strongly affected the production of B, GA, and GB. The results from this study suggest that MJ and SA directly or indirectly increased the production of B, GA, and GB in cells, and stimulated the release of these metabolites into the culture medium.