Improved accumulation of betulin and betulinic acid in cell suspension culture of Betula pendula roth by abiotic and biotic elicitors

Betulin (B) and betulinic acid (BA) are two triterpenes with diverse pharmacological and physiological actions. Elicitation of Betula pendula Roth cell cultures by elicitors is an excellent strategy to increase B and BA levels. Six abiotic and biotic elicitors were studied to improve accumulation of B and BA in the cell culture of B. pendula. The B and BA production in treated cells was verified by HPLC. The results showed the maximum growth index (7) on day 3 in cells treated with 0.5 mg L−1 chlorocholine chloride (CCC). The increased accumulation of BA in the cells treated with 200 mg L−1 of chitosan was found to be 5.9 × (6.5 mg g−1 DW) higher over control cells. Treating the cells with 2 mg L−1 of CCC, after 7 days, led to 149.3× enhancement of B content (19.4 mg g−1 DW) over the controls. Production of this triterpenoid at a much shorter time with a much higher growth rate can be economic and lead to producing large amounts of B and BA for anti-cancer and HIV drugs preparation.