Full Length Research Paper

Induction of callus and extraction of alkaloid from Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus heterophylus Sw.) culture

J. Yang^{1, 2}*, Z. C. Gong¹ and X. Tan¹

¹College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan 637002, P. R. China.

²Institute of Rare Animals and Plants, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan 637002, P. R. China.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: yangjunlz@tom.com. 

Accepted 1 February, 2008

High efficient callus was induced from cotyledon and hypocotyls of Leonurus heterophyllus Sw. on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 2 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and 0.5 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The induction rate reached up to 94.2% in cotyledon explants and 99.2% in hypocotyls. They formed yellowish loose callus when they were subcultured on MS medium with 2 mg/l 6-BA and 0.5 mg/l naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA). Suspension culture system was established as the callus transferred to MS liquid medium supplemented with 2 mg/l 6-BA and 0.5 mg/l NAA, and the maximum biomass is obtained on the 16th day. The content of alkaloid extracted from suspension culture callus was only 0.081%, but the addition of 0.03 mg/l L-proline (L-Pro) could increase the content up to 2.1%.

Key words: Leonurus heterophyllus, Callus, suspension culture, alkaloid.