Dynamics of growth and production of indole anti-cancer alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus shoot cultures cultivated in flasks and nutrient sprinkle bioreactor

Caharanthus roseus produces about 130 terpene-indole alkaloids (TIA). Currently, valuable anti-cancer metabolites (e.g. vincristine, vinblastine) are obtained from field crops, but with very small efficiency. The alternative method of obtaining these compounds may be in vitro shoot cultures of periwinkle rosea leading to increase TIA yield and reducing the costs of alkaloid isolation. C. roseus shoots were grown on WP medium with NAA (0.1 mg·L −1 ) and BAP (1 mg·L −1 ) in 250 mL flasks during 12 weeks. The highest increase in dry mass was obtained after 70 days. The maximum content of the six identified metabolites (vindoline, vincristine, vinblastine, catharanthine, ajmalicine, tabersonine) was observed between the 42nd and 70th day of culture (about 29 mg·L −1 ). This is the first study, in which shoot cultures were cultured in scale up using 5 L nutrient sprinkle bioreactor (NSB). NSB ensures the maintenance of optimal culture conditions, such as nutrition supply and aeration. The yield of metabolites was 25 mg·L −1 in bioreactor shoot cultures after 46 days. The profile of individual alkaloids changed during the experiment and was different in the flasks and in the bioreactor, however, the most abundant were always catharanthine and vindoline. Obtained results suggest that cultivation condition influence the dynamic of indole alkaloid biosynthesis. C. roseus shoot cultivation in NSB is a first, but promising, step in the scale-up of biomass and TIA production. In the future, to achieve efficient and economically viable TIA biosynthesis, the optimalization of this process at genetic level and with biotechnological method application are required. • WP medium is suitable for the growth of C. roseus shoots in vitro. • Conditions and scale of C. roseus shoot culture influence a metabolite profile. • C. roseus shoots produce anticancer alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine. • Productivity in flasks and nutrient sprinkle bioreactor depends on the culture time.