Sphaeralcea angustifolia (Cav) G. Don is used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat in ammations and gastric disease. Its anti-in ammatory and immunomodulatory activities in mice and rats acute and chronic models have been attributed mainly to scopoletin. Scopoletin reduced joint in ammation, the number of new vessels, production of endogenous angiogenic inducers, and reversed the histopathological alterations in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis. Tomentin and sphaeralcic acid from S. angustifolia cells in suspension proved anti-in ammatory and immunomodulatory activities in mice kaolin/λ-carrageenan-induced arthritis. Transformed roots of S. angustifolia have been proposed as active compounds producers. A high transformation frequency mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC15834/pTDT was obtained from nodal segments (59.5 ± 10.5%, 145 hairy root lines) and leaves (40.0 ± 25, 52 hairy root lines) of 2-month-old plantlets. Among seven lines selected according to their phenotypic characteristics and growth index, the SaTR N7.2 line presented the highest sphaeralcic acid production (17.6 ± 1.72 mg/g DW); this production was 440-fold superior to that reported in S. angustifolia wild plants, and in comparison to cells in the suspension of S. angustifolia in MS medium with nitrate restriction this was 263-fold higher when cultured in asks and 5-fold higher in a stirred-tank type bioreactor. The SaTR N7.2, SaTR N5.1, SaTR N7.1, and SaTR N15.1 lines excreted sphaeralcic acid into the culture medium at similar levels. Genetic transformation of hairy roots was con rmed by amplifying a 490 bp fragment of the rolC gene. S. angustifolia hairy root cultures producers of scopoletin and sphaeralcic acid can be stressed by nitrate reduction and/or copper increased to stimulate scopoletin and sphaeralcic acid production. Key MessageHairy roots lines of Sphaeralcea angustifolia, producers of scopoletin and sphaeralcic acid antiin ammatory compounds, were established by rst time through plant transformation mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC15834/pTDT.

The Sphaeralcea angustifolia plant is used as an anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal protector in Mexican traditional medicine. The immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects have been attributed to scopoletin (1), tomentin (2), and sphaeralcic acid (3) isolated from cells in suspension cultures and identified in the aerial tissues of the wild plant. The hairy roots from S. angustifolia established by infecting internodes with Agrobacterium rhizogenes were explored to produce active compounds based on biosynthetic stability and their capacity to produce new compounds. Chemical analysis was resumed after 3 years in these transformed roots, SaTRN12.2 (line 1) produced scopoletin (0.0022 mg g−1) and sphaeralcic acid (0.22 mg g−1); instead, the SaTRN7.1 (line 2) only produced sphaeralcic acid (3.07 mg g−1). The sphaeralcic acid content was 85-fold higher than that reported for the cells in the suspension cultivated into flakes, and it was similar when the cells in suspension were cultivated in a stirring tank under nitrate restriction. Moreover, both hairy root lines produced stigmasterol (4) and β-sitosterol (5), as well as two new naphthoic derivates: iso-sphaeralcic acid (6) and 8-methyl-iso-sphaeralcic acid (7), which turned out to be isomers of sphaeralcic acid (3) and have not been reported. The dichloromethane–methanol extract from SaTRN7.1 hairy root line had a gastroprotective effect on an ulcer model in mice induced with ethanol.

Sphaeralcea angustifolia (Cav) G. Don is used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat inflammations and gastric disease. Its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities in mice and rats acute and chronic models have been attributed mainly to scopoletin. Scopoletin reduced joint inflammation, the number of new vessels, production of endogenous angiogenic inducers, and reversed the histopathological alterations in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis. Tomentin and sphaeralcic acid from S. angustifolia cells in suspension proved anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities in mice kaolin/λ-carrageenan-induced arthritis. Transformed roots of S. angustifolia have been proposed as active compounds producers. A high transformation frequency mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC15834/pTDT was obtained from nodal segments (59.5 ± 10.5%, 145 hairy root lines) and leaves (40.0 ± 25, 52 hairy root lines) of 2-month-old plantlets. Among seven lines selected according to their phenotypic characteristics and growth index, the SaTR N7.2 line presented the highest sphaeralcic acid production (17.6 ± 1.72 mg/g DW); this production was 440-fold superior to that reported in S. angustifolia wild plants, and in comparison to cells in the suspension of S. angustifolia in MS medium with nitrate restriction this was 263-fold higher when cultured in flasks and 5-fold higher in a stirred-tank type bioreactor. The SaTR N7.2, SaTR N5.1, SaTR N7.1, and SaTR N15.1 lines excreted sphaeralcic acid into the culture medium at similar levels. Genetic transformation of hairy roots was confirmed by amplifying a 490 bp fragment of the rolC gene. S. angustifolia hairy root cultures producers of scopoletin and sphaeralcic acid can be stressed by nitrate reduction and/or copper increased to stimulate scopoletin and sphaeralcic acid production.