Effects of methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid on the production of bilobalide and ginkgolides in cell cultures of Ginkgo biloba

In an attempt to increase productivity, the effects of the elicitors methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicylic acid (SA) on the production of bilobalide (B), ginkgolide A (GA), and ginkgolide B (GB) were studied in cell suspension cultures of Ginkgo biloba. MJ treatments increased the amounts of B, GA, and GB, concomitant with a slight decrease in cell growth. After treatment of 0.01 mM MJ, levels of GA and GB increased 4.3- and 8.2-fold over controls by 12 h and declined after 24 h. The 1.0 mM MJ treatment produced a maximal release of B after 12 h of exposure and increased the concentration of B in the culture medium up to 6.25-fold compared with the controls. Treatment with 1.0 mM SA transiently enhanced GA and GB production up to 3.1- and 6.1-fold, respectively, compared with the control. However, treatment 1.0 mM SA did not have a significant effect on B production. When treated with 0.01 mM SA, the level of B in the cells was increased 5.4-fold over controls by 12 h and declined after 24 h. The concentrations and exposure times of both MJ and SA were factors that strongly affected the production of B, GA, and GB. The results from this study suggest that MJ and SA directly or indirectly increased the production of B, GA, and GB in cells, and stimulated the release of these metabolites into the culture medium.