STUDIES ON THE PRODUCTION OF TAXOL FROM ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI OF TAXUS TREE

Abstract

Taxol (paclitaxel) is an anticancerous agent used in the treatment of breast, ovarian and lungs cancer where other standard chemotherapies are failed. This drug is extracted from the bark and leaves of laxus species including Taxus wallichiana and Taxus brevi/olia. Unfortunately the whole bark of 100 years old taxus tree yields only 4-5 gm of taxol. The present study is based on the biosynthesis of taxol from endophytic fungi associated in symbiotic relationship with the Taxus wallichiana. Different endophytic fungi were isolated from different parts of Taxus wallichiana including leaves, stem, tinny and large branches, fruits and seeds. Isolation was done by implanting, surface sterilized, inner tissues and plant pal1S in water agar plates. The incubation temperature was 20°C. Pure culture of different isolated endophytic fungal strains were grown in different mycological medium in shake flask at 20 °c at 150 rpm for biosynthesis and estimation of taxol. Taxol produced in liquid mycological media was identified by bioassay, chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques. Maximum taxol 46.54 /lg/ml was produced in enhanced taxol microbial culture medium (ETMCM) after 4 weeks of incubation period at 20 °C in shake flask culture.