Narcissus tazetta L., a bulbous plant belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family, contains alkaloid galantamine (GAL) with acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity which has been recently considered to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the current work, the effect of photoperiod (16/8 h light/dark and 24 h dark) and various concentrations of NAA, BAP, and GA 3 (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg l -1 ) on the in vitro mass bulblet regeneration of N. tazetta was studied. The GAL production ability of the regenerated bulblets was assessed by HPLC-UV-MS. Light treatments significantly affected the number of bulblet and leaf, the ratio of bulblet/leaf, and leaf length. The maximum number of bulblet (31.0 ± 1.58) and leaf (13.3 ± 1.33) was recorded from the cultures fortified with NAA and BAP (2 mg l -1 ) kept in 16/8 h light/dark, while the maximum leaf length (2.1 ± 0.92 cm) was measured on the MS medium containing 0.5 mg l -1 NAA and 2 mg l -1 BAP incubated in the same photoperiod. The average ratio of bulblet proliferation per explant was significantly different between studied photoperiod (1.1 ± 0.86) and 24 h dark (0.62 ± 0.31). The regenerated bulblets contained 40 and 20 µg g -1 DW GAL underexposed photoperiod and 24 h dark, respectively. This information could be useful in the commercial production of GAL as a valuable anti-AD compound through in vitro mass bulblet proliferation of N. tazetta. Key messageThe regenerated mass bulblets of Narcissus tazetta (Amaryllidaceae) on MS medium containing 2 mg l -1 NAA and BAP kept in 16/8 h light/dark are recommended to produce galanatamine and lycorine.

Galantamine (GAL), a morphine-like alkaloid produced by some members of the Amaryllidaceae plant family, is a possible therapeutic agent in Alzheimer's disease because of its central cholinergic effects. GAL has been extracted from the plant sources or produced synthetically for pharmaceutical use. Limited supply of the natural source and high cost of synthetic production has led to a search for alternative sources of this valuable compound. In the present study, a total of six Galanthus nivalis populations (GNPs) and 11 Narcissus tazetta populations (NTPs) were collected across different regions of Iran and were then subjected to the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis for their GAL quantification. The GAL content ranged from 0.05 to 0.36 mg/g dry weight (DW) in the bulbs of GNPs, and from 0.03 to 0.33 mg/g DW in the bulbs of NTPs. Maximum content of GAL (0.36 and 0.33 mg/g DW) was measured in the Zirab population of G. nivalis and Ghaemshahr population of N. tazetta, respectively. Our results provided a suitable material for further agronomical and biotechnological strategies for enhanced production of valuable GAL compound on a large scale.

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