PRODUCTION OF GINSENG SAPONIN IN TISSUE-CULTURE OF GINSENG (PANAX-GINSENG CA MEYER)

Gingseng calli induced from root segments and the selected cell lines PG1 and PG2 were cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog media to clarify the effects of chemical composition and plant growth regulators of the medium on the growth of calli and the production of saponins. For growth of ginseng calli, the optimum concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and sucrose were found to be in the range of 1 to 3 mg/l and 1 to 3%, respectively. It was clarified that sucrose, nitrogen, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and plant growth regulators influenced the relative biosynthesis of saponin in cultures of ginseng calli. The patterns of ginsenosides, the pharmacologically useful component, were different between the cell lines; the content of ginsenosides was much higher in selected cell lines than in the original cell line.