Effects of endophytic fungus and its elicitors on cell status and alkaloid synthesis in cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus

This study examined the effects of endophytic fungus and its elicitors on cell status and alkaloid synthesis in cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus. Endophytic fungus and its elicitors were inoculated in cell suspension cultures of C. roseus respectively. The biochemical change of suspension cells was then tested. The results showed when the pH rises, the concentration of MDA increases as the activities of antioxidative enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) rises. The critical enzymes of alkaloid synthesis includephenylalanine ammonialyase and tryptophan decarboxylase in suspension cells were also found to increase, along with the alkaloid yield rises. The alkaloid yields reached 770.36 693.76 and 693.76 μg/gFW in the co-culture and elicitor-induced groups, which are 48 and 32% higher than the control group, respectively.   Key words: Catharanthus roseus, suspension cell, endophytic fungus, alkaloid.