Production of tannic acid by Rhus javanica cell cultures

Cell cultures of Rhus javanica producing large amounts of tannic acid, which is a mixture of tetrato decagalloylglucoses, were established. The calli cultured on Linsmaier-Skoog gellan gum medium containing 10^-5 M 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 10^-5 M benzyladenine showed high gallotannin production as well as a high growth rate. The main component in a mixture of polygalloylglucoses detected in cultured cells was heptagalloylglucose, while octagalloylglucose was the representative compound in intact plants. The parent compound was confirmed by isolating pentagalloylglucose produced upon methanolysis of the depside linkage of polygalloylglucoses in an ethyl acetate fraction of the callus extract.