UNORGANIZED (CELL SUSPENSION) CULTURES: A BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TOOL FOR ENHANCEMENT OF BIOMASS AND GYMNEMIC ACID IN Gymnema sylvestre

The habitats of medicinal plants are disappearing rapidly and the progresses in biotechnology like development of cell cultures would be an alternative to acquire metabolites without disturbing plants natural stand. The cultures of every PGR combination were harvested every seven days up to five weeks to study the growth. The growth of cells was assessed by Packed cell volume (PCV in ml), cell count, fresh weight (g FW) and dry weight (g DW). Cell suspension cultures were assessed every seven days upto five weeks to study its gymnemic acid (mg/ g DW) production pattern using HPTLC. Maximum cell count 142143.33 (cell number/ 40 ml), PCV 187.33 (μl/ ml), FW 3.95 (g), and DW 0.383 (g) were seen in the cell suspension cultures grown on Medium H while minimum cell count, PCV, FW and DW were observed for control (Medium I). Cell suspension cultures grown on Medium H showed 55.05%, 69.27%, 82.02%, 55.06% increment for cell count, PCV, FW and DW respectively as compared to control (Medium I) during study period. Gymnemic acid content of the cell suspension cultures grown on Medium H (8.54) was maximum at the end of four weeks duration which showed 141.97% increment in gymnemic acid content as compared to control (Medium I). Cell suspension grown on Medium H showed a typical ‘S’ shaped curve for growth and gymnemic acid production and these phases were divided into lag, log and stationary phase for five weeks study duration and significantly affected by time.`