Examples of metabolites isolated from plants or generated through biosynthesis and/or
bioconversion by plant cell cultures
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids:
Supported by funding in two MIT collaboration projects, methods were developed for purification of pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Jacobaea sp. for ecological and toxicitiy studies. Available on order are: senecionine, seneciphylline, jacobine, erucifoline, acetylseneciphylline, acetylerucifoline, jaconine and jacoline, including their respective N-oxides, at high purity levels.
Strictosidine:
Supported by funding in an IOP genomics project, Catharanthus roseus cell-lines were optimized for strictosidine production. With support of an IPC project, methods were subsequently developed for isolation of strictosidine and conversion to strictosamide, a potential anti-malarial drug, currently extracted from Nauclea latifolia trees.
Gluco-vanilline and Gluco-vanillylalcohol:
As follow-up of the RAAK Hollandse Vanille project, ExPlant developed methods to produce gluco-vanilline and gluco-vanillylalcohol from vanillin by biotransformation by Catharanthus cultured cells. The new glycosylated products have been isolated by prep-HPLC at a purity > 97%.
