A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ENHANCING PACLITAXEL RELEASE FROM TAXUS CANADENSIS CELL SUSPENSION CULTURES UTILIZING CELL WALL ENZYMES

Authors: NAILL, M - UNIV MASSACHUSETTS; GIBSON, DONNA; SHULER, M - CORNELL UNIVERSITY; ROBERTS, S - UNIV MASSACHUSETTS

Submitted to: Plant Cell Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2003
Publication Date: 6/17/2003
Citation: NAILL, M., GIBSON, D.M., SHULER, M.L., ROBERTS, S.C. A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ENHANCING PACLITAXEL RELEASE FROM TAXUS CANADENSIS CELL SUSPENSION CULTURES UTILIZING CELL WALL ENZYMES. PLANT CELL REPORTS. 2003. V. 21. P. 1217-1220.

Interpretive Summary: Paclitaxel (Taxol) is a potent chemotherapeutic drug with proven utility against a range of cancers. The very limited supply of this drug from the original source, Pacific yew bark, however, prompted the development of alternative sources of production, including the use of plant cell cultures. For plant cell culture to be an economic production system, however, work is still needed in order to optimize production and release into the cell medium for efficient recovery. This manuscript describes our study into the use of commercially available enzymes to increase release of paclitaxel into the culture medium. Such studies may be beneficial to enhancing overall paclitaxel recovery from plant suspension cultures.

Technical Abstract: Paclitaxel storage in Taxus suspension cell cultures was studied through the simple use of cell wall digesting enzymes. The application of cellulase (1%) and pectolyase (0.1%) to Taxus suspension cultures induced a significant increase in the paclitaxel present in the extracellular medium, while maintaining membrane integrity, suggesting that paclitaxel is stored in the cell wall. The addition of cell wall digesting enzymes to a cell culture bioprocess may be an effective way of enhancing paclitaxel release to the extracellular medium, and hence simplifying product recovery.