L. erythrorhizon 세포를 polyurethane foam과 함께 증식시킬 경우 shikonin 유도체가 polyurethane에 효과적으로 흡착됨과 동시에 polyurethane을 사용하지 않은 경우와 비교하여 shikonin 생산량이 현저히 증가하였다. 이 같은 증가는 세포를 polyurethane pore에 고정하여 증식시킴으로써 원활한 세포간 접촉을 유지하고 세포 내에 shikonin 농도를 저하시켜shikonin 생성에 좋은 조건을 제공함에 기인한 것으로 생각되었다. 공정의 생산성을 높이기 위하여 여러가지 배양시스템이 검토되었는데, indole-3-acetic acid(1.75mg/ι)와 kinetin(0.1mg/ι)을 함유하는 Schenk-Hildebrandt 배지 (SHIK 배지) 시스템이 가장 효과적이었다. p-Chlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0 mg/ι)와 kinetin (0.1 mg/ι)를 함유하는 Schenk-Hildebrandt 배지 (SHND 배지) 시스템에 비교하여 SHIK 배지 시스템에서 Shikonin 생성량은 약 4.5배 증가하였다. Polyurethane을 세포를 고정화하는 지지체로 사용할 경우에는 현재 행하여지고 있는 2단계 배양보다 1단계 배양이 더욱 효과적이며 경제적으로도 매우 유리할 것으로 판단되었다.
Production of shikonin derivatives by Lithospermum erythrorhizon cells by using polyurethane foam was invesliigated. Shikonin derivatives were effectively adsorbed mostly by phase distribution to polyurethane matrices and their production increased significantly compared to the suspension culture. The enhanced production of shikonin was probably due to more facilitated cell to cell con-tact and lowered intracellular shikonin concentration, both of which are known to be favorable for plant secondary metabolite production. In order to improve the process productivity, tell culture was conducted under various culture conditions: Of them, Schenk and Hildebrandt medium containing indole-3-acetic acid (1.75mg/ι) and kinetin (0.1mg/ι) was considered most appropriate for shikonin production. Production of shikonin increased about 4.5 times in the Schenk and Hildebrandt medium containing indole-3-acetic acid (1.15mg/ι) and kinetin (0.1mg/ι) when compared to the same medium containing p-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0mg/ι) and kinetin (0.1mg/ι). When poly-urethane was used as the support material, a single-stage system was more preferred to the conventional two-stage culture system in terms of shikonin productivity.
