RESUMO
The total production of the sesquiterpene tessaric acid (TA) by cell cultures of Tessaria absinthioides at day 25 of the culture period reached 0.086 mg g-1 DW, with intracellular accumulation accounting for 0.059 mg g-1 DW. Dimethylsulfoxide-induced permeabilization of the cells effected both total production and extracellular accumulation of the sesquiterpene to reach levels of 148% and 271%, respectively. Cultures treated with elicitor preparations of Verticillum sp., Monodyctis cataneae, Acremonium sp., and Aspergillus niger produced TA at levels of 281%, 197%, 149%, and 139%, respectively. Treatment of cell suspension cultures with cis-(-)-jasmonic acid (5 µM) increased production to 267%, whereas jasmonic acid pretreatment and subsequent elicitation raised external tessaric acid to 702%.