The aim of this study was to assay by NMR the metabolites which contribute to betulin production. 8-day-old suspended birch (Betula platyphylla) cells were treated by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment, an NO donor, and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO), an NO-specific scavenger. The results showed that betulin production was increased by five times after SNP treatment, similar with that of the control under cPTIO treatment. Forty one metabolites were detected after SNP treatment or cPTIO treatment. Among them, 10 were found to significantly contribute to the differences observed between controls and treated cell culture samples. To validate the contribution of the above 10 metabolites to betulin production, myo-inositol, fructose and phenylalanine based on correlation analysis between the content of 12 metabolites and betulin were used to feed birch suspension cell cultures under SNP treatment. Exogenous feeding of fructose or phenylalanine further enhanced the betulin production under SNP treatment, but myo-inositol had the opposite result.
Keywords: Betula platyphylla; betulin; feeding strategy; metabolic profiling; nitric oxide.