Increasing sucrose from 20 to 50 g l(-1) in Uncaria tomentosa cell suspension cultures enhanced ursolic acid and oleanolic acid production from 129 +/- 61 to 553 +/- 193 microg g(-1) cell dry wt. The maximal concentration of both triterpenes (1680 +/- 39 microg g(-1) cell dry wt) was 8 days after elicitation by jasmonic acid, while yeast extract or citrus pectin treatments produced 1189 +/- 20 or 1120 +/- 26 microg g(-1) cell dry wt, respectively. The ratio of ursolic acid:oleanolic acid was constant at 70:30.