The Effect of Light on the Production of Reserpine in Cultured Rauwolfia serpentina Cells

When reserpine-producing cell strains of Rauwolfia serpentina were transferred from the dark to the light irradiation, the production of reserpine was extremely enhanced whereas the cell growth was suppressed. In an incubation period of 20 days, the most effective culture condition for reserpine production was the combination of 8 days of dark culture and following 12 days of light culture. The time courses of both cell growth and reserpine production were measured in vitro in order to clarify the effect of wave length range of light on the biosynthesis of reserpine. Although the growth of cultured cells which had been incubated under continuous red, yellow, and green lights, respectively, was similar to that of the cultured cells subcultured in the dark. The cells cultured under red light irradiation produced less reserpine than dark-grown cultures. Both blue and near-ultraviolet light inhibited the growth of cultured cells. The production of reserpine was strikingly enhanced by blue light, but was strongly inhibited by near-ultraviolet light.