Glycyrrhiza glabra (Linn.) and Lavandula officinalis (L.) cell suspension cultures-based biotransformation of β-artemether

• Published in: Journal of natural medicines 2011-07, Vol.65 (3-4), p.646-650
• Main Authors: Patel, Suman, Gaur, Rashmi, Upadhyaya, Mohita, Mathur, Archana, Mathur, Ajay K., Bhakuni, Rajendra S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Artemisinins - chemistry; Artemisinins - metabolism; Artemisinins - pharmacology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cells, Cultured; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Glycyrrhiza - cytology; Glycyrrhiza - drug effects; Glycyrrhiza - metabolism; Lavandula - cytology; Lavandula - drug effects; Lavandula - metabolism; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Medicinal Chemistry; Molecular Structure; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Pharmacy; Plant Sciences
• ISSN: 1340-3443; 1861-0293
• DOI: 10.1007/s11418-011-0539-5

The biotransformation of β-artemether ( 1 ) by cell suspension cultures of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Lavandula officinalis is reported here for the first time. The major biotransformed product appeared as a grayish-blue color spot on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with transparent crystal-like texture. Based on its infrared (IR) and 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, the product was characterized as a tetrahydrofuran (THF)–acetate derivative ( 2 ). The highest conversion efficiencies of 57 and 60% were obtained when 8–9-day-old cell suspensions of G. glabra and L. officinalis were respectively fed with 4–7 mg of compound 1 in 40 ml of medium per culture and the cells were harvested after 2–5 days of incubation. The addition of compound 1 at the beginning of the culture cycle caused severe growth depression in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in poor bioconversion efficiency of ~25% at 2–5 mg/culture dose only.