Salvia cinnabarina Martens et Galeotti: optimisation of the extraction of a new compound, tissue culture and hairy root transformation.

A new secoisopimarane diterpenoid was previously isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia cinnabarina M. et G. (Romussi et al., 2000, Planta Medica 67, 153-155). As this compound seems to have a very promising effect, a method to optimize the extraction was reported in this paper. The tissue culture of this plant was also investigated as a preliminary study for the production of the active compound directly in vitro, in controlled conditions. Apical and axillary buds of adult plants grown in the Botanical Hanbury Garden in Ventimiglia (Italy) were used as explants. The propagation phase, characterized by development of 1 or 2 axillary shoots from each node, seems to be best controlled by light intensity and temperature than by the external hormonal supply. In the highest light intensity, the viability and the height of the explants and the number of nodes significantly increased. On the contrary, the presence of both BA and 2iP decreased significantly the height of the stems and the node number. Hairy roots emission was obtained by transformation of leaf explants with Agrobacterium rhizogenes wild type strain ATCC 15834. The developed hairy roots were cloned and cultured to optimize biomass production for direct metabolite extraction