BIOTRANSFORMATION OF HYDROQUINONE AND 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID IN Schisandra chinensis (CHINESE MAGNOLIA VINE) in vitro CULTURES

Optimization of the process of biotransformation of hydroquinone into its β-D-glucoside – arbutin, was performed in agitated shoot cultures of Schisandra chinensis. The optimisation involved testing various concentrations of the precursor and different ways of a dministering it. Arbutin was accumulated mainly in th e in vitro cultured biomass (85.2–98.6%). By optimizing the p rocess, a 2.26-fold increase in the overall product content was obtained. The highest amount (17.8 m g·g DW) was found after administering 384 mg·l –1 hydroquinone in a dose divided into two portions. An experiment with the biotransformation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid did not produce arbutin but a mixtur e of two products of glucosylation of the precursor – hydroxybenzoic acid 4-Oβ glucopyranoside and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid β-glucopyranosyl ester. The identity of all biotransformation products was confirmed by H-NMR analysis. The results for the production of arbutin by the biotransformation of hydroquinone ar of potential practical importance. On the other ha nd, the fact of confirming the presence of two glucosyla tion products has a great cognitive value.