Production of Fruticuline A and Demethylfruticuline A in in vitro-produced biomass from Salvia corrugata Vahl.

Salvia corrugata Vahl. is an American species that is cultivated in the Mediterranean coastal area as an ornamental plant. The surface exudate of the fresh aerial parts has shown a significant antibacterial activity as well as antitumor and cytotoxic activities due to the content of two icetaxane diterpene quinones: Fruticuline A (1) and Demethylfruticuline A (2). The extractive yield of 1 and 2, previously isolated from S. fruticulosa Benth. and S. arizonica Gray, has been reported only for the first species (0.0026% and 0.01% (dry weight) respectively) . 2 is the most abundant diterpenoid isolated from Salvia corrugata, where the extractive yields of 1 and 2 are 0.029% and 0.11%, respectively . Aim of this work was to develop protocols for micropropagation, shoot regeneration and callus production of this species in order to evaluate the presence of 1 and 2 in the obtained biomass and to enhance the production of these compounds . Shoot tips of youngherbaceous branches of S. corrugata have been used to start the micropropagation experiment, while stem nodes and leaves were used for the experiment of induction of adventitious shoots and callus respectively. The presence of these icetaxane diterpenes have been evidenced in all the in vitro-obtained tissues by means of HPLC, NMR and MS experiments.