Influence of methyl jasmonate on ginsenoside biosynthesis in suspension cultures of Panax quinquefolium L.

Panax quinquefolium L., belonging to the Araliaceae family, along with P. ginseng is one of the well-known species of ginseng. Multidirectional pharmacological action of this plant is attributed to triterpene saponins called ginsenosides. Pharmacopoeial raw material are roots obtained from the field crops which are time-consuming and require expensive agrotechnical procedures. Therefore, the new sources of ginseng biomass are sought such as in vitro suspension cultures. P. quinquefolium L. cell cultures, treated with the elicitation of methyl jasmonate (MJ) in concentration 50 and 250 μmol L-1, synthesize more ginsenosides than control cultures. The highest increase (2.2-fold) of all examined compounds was noted using 250 μmol L-1 MJ. In this condition, the predominantly quantitative metabolite was Rb1 ginsenoside belonging to protopanaxadiol derivatives.