Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne is a tree unique to China, producing terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA), camptothecin (CPT), and 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), which possesses strong anti-cancer bioactivity. The dynamics of HCPT and CPT during seed maturation, seed germination, postgerminative development and daily growth were measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). This article provides some evidence for presenting the theory that each characteristic of HCPT and CPT accumulation is under developmental regulation and then attempt to elucidate the metabolic relationships between them. HCPT accumulates particularly in young tissues and organs and is relatively unstable, while the distribution of CPT is more ubiquitous and stable. Their different distribution properties suggest that HCPT and CPT are differentially regulated and play distinct roles:during development.
Plants interact with their environment by producing a diverse array of secondary metabolites, one of which is alkaloid. In this study, alkaloids, including camptothecin (CPT) and 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), malondialdehyde (MDA) and chlorophyll contents were measured during heat shock in seedlings of Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne unique to China. Responses of different tissues, including young leaves, old leaves, buds and barks, to heat shock were examined in alkaloid changes. CPT and HCPT concentrations reached their peak values separately at 38 degreesC and 40 degreesC, which were below the lethal heat-shock temperature indicated by MDA and chlorophyll, and their great changes took place in young leaves. These results indicated that CPT and HCPT were involved in the C acuminata resistance against heat shock from its environment. Furthermore, plant rigidly observed the cost-benefit principle and mobilized and allocated limited alkaloid sources to young and reproductive tissues preferentially. In addition, HCPT displayed well-regulated changes during incubation at sublethal temperature, and this indicated that HCPT might play a more positively defensive role in enhancement of plant thermotolerance than CPT does.
