PRODUCTION OF 9-METHOXYCANTHIN-6-ONE IN ELICITED EURYCOMA LONGIFOLIA HAIRY ROOT

The hairy root of Eurycoma longifolia has been established by infection with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4, to meet the herbal industry demand for the 9-methoxycanthin-6-one compound, an anti-cancer agent. In this study, 9-methoxycanthin-6-one was found in control and elicited cultures of E. longifolia hairy root. Two elicitors, methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid, were applied at different concentrations to the cultures and their effects on production of 9-methoxycanthin-6-one and growth of hairy root were studied. Methyl jasmonate at concentration of 0.1 mM elicited the highest production of 9-methoxycanthin-6-one after exposure for 168 hours in both 4- and 10-week-old hairy root cultures when compared with the unelicited control and salicylic acid. While 0.1 mM salicylic acid was sufficient to induce a high production of the targeted compound in 4-week-old cultures, the 10-week-old cultures required 2.0 mM salicylic acid to produce high amounts. Elicitation with methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid at higher concentrations caused degradation of the hairy root biomass.