Alkaloid Accumulation in Catharanthus roseus Suspension Cultures

Plants have traditionally been the source of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, and at this time, plant material is still being screened for new compounds (1 ). Initially, plant cell and tissue culture was developed in order to study the biochemistry and physiology of plants without the complication of the whole plant. However, plant cell or tissue cultures were also found to accumulate many of the compounds characteristic of the original plant (2 ). Many plants are the source of plant-derived products, which include drugs, fragrances, colors, oils, and pesticides (3 ). Most of these valuable plant products are defined as secondary metabolites, which are often complex in structure, the end product of long biochemical pathways, not essential for growth, but do often confer some advantage to the plant, such as reduction of predation (3 ). A number of these secondary products are very valuable, such as taxol (4 ), and plant cell culture may provide an additional source of supply if:

	•There is a high demand for the product.
	•The product is affected by disease.
	•Supply is affected by the climate
	•Only low levels accumulate in plants.