In Vitro Callus Induction of Duroia Macrophylla Huber, Chemical Prospection and Biotechnological Potentialities of Its Extracts

Abstract

The Amazonian wild tree species Duroia Macrophylla (Rubiaceae) produces triterpenes and alkaloids, some of them showed antituberculosis and antitumoral activities. This paper describes the in vitro establishment and callus induction of Duroia Macrophylla leaf explants, preparation of callus extracts and the chemical analysis to verify the presence of alkaloids and terpenes in it. Young leaf explants were established in vitro with 50% of asepsis, being the best disinfestation method with immersion of 5 h at biocide solution (fungicidal and bactericidal), 3 min in 70% ethanol and 15 min in sodium hypochlorite 2%. Once established, the explants in vitro were induced to callus formation process by adding the growth regulators kinetin and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, on Murashige and Skoog medium. In vitro callus were extracted with hexane and methanol and the presence of secondary metabolites was assessed by thin layer chromatography and 1H-NMR analysis. Preliminary chemical analysis suggests that both callus extract of D. macrophylla did not contain alkaloids, but terpenes. Thus, more studies are needed to induce the production of alkaloids in D. macrophylla callus, where the use of elicitors, or other methods, may induce the production of these metabolites in callus, as alkaloids and terpenes showed antituberculosis and antitumoral activities, what are potential of (social and economics) uses with bioprospection activities. This is the first report of D. macrophylla callus induction and the chemical prospection of its extracts.