Abstract
Plant cell culture technology offers a promising alternative for the production of plant bioactive compounds. In this study, a 5-L mechanically agitated culture vessel with introduced aeration was employed to improve the culture conditions for higher biomass production of Artemisia annua, a source of the antimalarial compound artemisinin. The effects of impeller rotational speed and introduced aeration rate on cell biomass production were evaluated by using response surface methodology (RSM). We report the successful scale-up of A. annua cell cultures, with a growth index of 6.9, through the synergistic effects of optimized impeller rotational speed (104 rpm) and introduced aeration rate (0.07 vvm (air volume/culture volume/min)). Use of an impeller blade angle of 30° vertical slant in the 5-L culture vessel significantly increased the biomass obtained over that obtained with a 45° vertical slant angle. This information is a key to future scale-up of bioprocessing in this species.
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The authors wish to thank Universiti Sains Malaysia for research funding (RU-PGRS grant) and laboratory facilities and the MyBrain15 scholarship program.
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Editor: Randall P. Niedz
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Heng, K.W., Chan, D.J.C. & Chan, L.K. Effects of angled-impeller rotational speed and aeration rate on production of artemisinin and cell biomass of Artemisia annua L.. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 51, 324–331 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-015-9678-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-015-9678-9