Biotransformation of salicylaldehyde to salicin using Varthemia persica cell suspension cultures

         Cell cultures of Varthemia persica DC. have been studied to evaluate their abilities in biotransformation of aromatic and aliphatic precursors. V. Persica (Asteraceae) is an aromatic plant growing in Iran. V. persica contain different terpens but its cell culture does not posses these compounds. Callus cultures of V. persica was established from seedlings and healthy suspensions were grown using Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2 mg/l) and kinetin (0.2 mg/l). Then exogenous precursors were fed to V. persica cell suspension cultures. Biotransformation reactions were monitored after 24 h of incubation. The cultures then extracted with dichloromethane or methanol and concentrated within nitrogen stream. The extracts subjected to gas chromatography (GC) or thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis. V. persica cultured cells in this study seem to exhibit ability in glucosylation of salicylalde-hyde to salicin. No conversion was observed with several precursors fed to the cultures. The ability of cultured plant cells in biotransformation of the precursors appears to be depending on the substrate structure and active enzymes available in the cultures. It seems that in cultured cells of this plant only glucosylation enzymes are active.