Transformed Root Cultures of Solanum dulcamara L.: A Model for Studying Production of Secondary Metabolites

Solanum dulcamara L. (dogwood or bitter sweet), Solanaceae, is one of the recommended species for growing in the temperate regions as a source of steroidal alkaloids. These alkaloids are suggested to be alternatives for diosgenin in the commercial production of steroidal pharmaceuticals (Mathé et al., 1986). Steroidal alkaloids like solasodine and its C25 epimer tomatidenol can be easily converted to pregdienolone which is an important intermediate in the synthesis of steroids (Sato et al., 1951). Solanum dulcamara L. exists in three chemovarieties that contain either solasodine, soladulcidine or tomatidenol glycosides (Willuhn, 1966). These Solanum alkaloids are always accompanied by varying quantities of their corresponding oxygen analogues, i.e. the neutral saponins. So, these chemovarities can be relisted as tomatidenol/yamogenin, solasodine/diosgenin and soladulcidine/tigogenin types (Hegnauer, 1989). The tomatidenol-producing taxa are found in the humid Atlantic climate of Western Europe, the soladulcidine type occurs in the drier continental climates while the solasodine variety is comparatively rare (J.R Mathé & I. Mathé, 1979). Only the solasodine and tomatidenol-producing varieties are of interest, but their productivity would not be comparable to that of other tropical or subtropical species as S. laciniatum. So, if this steroidal alkaloids content could be boosted by manipulation, S. dulcamara could be of interest for commercial growing due to its other qualities like fair cold hardiness, good growth on poor soils and perennial life cycle. An alternative approach was to produce these alkaloids intensively in vitro. Several Solanum species including S. dulcamara were the subject of many in vitro manipulations, but attempts, which involved techniques like cell suspension and callus cultures failed to achieve the target. Secondary metabolites production, in general, needs a certain degree of tissue differentiation, something that is obviously lacking in those in vitro systems (Ehmke & Eilert, 1993; Rhodes et al., 1987). A more promising technique has been introduced as an alternative to the classical cell