Annatto (<i>Bixa orellana</i>) is a plant native to South America that has been used as a traditional medicine to treat multiple diseases. The highest natural level of delta tocotrienol, one of the eight E-vitamers, has been found in annatto. Hairy root cultures of annatto were established to study the bioactive compounds in this species. The hairy roots were cultured in liquid medium under either continuous light or dark conditions for 30 days. Root tissue and culture medium extracts collected every 3 days are being analyzed for tocotrienols using high performance liquid chromatography. Our preliminary results indicate that annatto hairy roots produce mainly delta-tocotrienol and trace amounts of gamma-tocotrienol. The anti-inflammatory capacity of the culture extracts is being assessed using a cytokine assay with 3T3-L1 cells. We propose that hairy root cultures of annatto can be developed as a sustainable source of delta tocotrienol.

Bioproduction and anti-inflammatory activity of delta-tocotrienol enriched extracts from hairy roots of annatto

251st National Meeting (2016)

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