Secondary Metabolite Profile of Transgenic Centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafn.) Plants, Potential Producers of Anticancer Compounds

Abstract

The genus Centaurium includes about 50 plant species found throughout the northern hemisphere. Plant species Centaurium erythraea Rafn., commonly known as common centaury, has been used for centuries for medical purposes. Centaury is used to treat anemia, jaundice, and gout and to cure febrile conditions and regulate blood sugar. So far, centaury species were genetically transformed mostly using Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Only one report has described A. tumefaciens-mediated gene delivery for the production of transgenic centaury plants. Genetic transformation of centaury using AtCKX genes did not influence the quality but influenced the quantity of xanthones in shoots and roots. The majority of AtCKX transformed centaury lines grown in vitro produced increased eustomin and/or demethyleustomin content than untransformed control plants. This work clearly demonstrates, for the first time, the effect of centaury secoiridoids and xanthones on colorectal cancer cell line (DLD1) and its resistant counterpart (DLD1-TxR). The xanthone eustomin showed the most significant cell growth inhibition effects. Since xanthones are increasingly being used for their pharmacological properties, AtCKX transgenic centaury plants could be used as a useful source of plant material for the production of novel drugs.