Optimization of Elicitation Conditions with Methyl Jasmonate and Salicylic Acid to Improve the Productivity of Withanolides in the Adventitious Root Culture of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Abstract

Adventitious root cultures derived from leaf derived callus of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal were treated with methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid independently. Biomass accumulation, culture age, elicitation period, and culture duration were optimized for higher withanolides production in the two best-responding varieties collected from Kolli hills (Eastern Ghats) and Cumbum (Western Ghats) of Tamil Nadu, India. Between the two elicitors, salicylic acid (SA) improved the production of major withanolides (withanolide A, withanolide B, withaferin A, and withanone) as well as minor constituents (12-deoxy withastramonolide, withanoside V, and withanoside IV) in the Kolli hills variety. Treatment of root biomass (11.70 g FW) on 30-day-old adventitious root cultures with 150 μM SA for 4 h elicitor exposure period resulted in the production of 64.65 mg g(-l) dry weight (DW) withanolide A (48-fold), 33.74 mg g(-l) DW withanolide B (29-fold), 17.47 mg g(-l) DW withaferin A (20-fold), 42.88 mg g(-l) DW withanone (37-fold), 5.34 mg g(-l) DW 12-deoxy withastramonolide (nine fold), 7.23 mg g(-l) DW withanoside V (seven fold), and 9.45 mg g(-l) DW withanoside IV (nine fold) after 10 days of elicitation (40th day of culture) when compared to untreated cultures. This is the first report on the use of elicitation strategy on the significant improvement in withanolides production in the adventitious root cultures of W. somnifera.

Establishment of adventitious root cultures from leaf explants of Plumbago rosea and enhanced plumbagin production through elicitation

“…Studies have reported elicitation as a suitable strategy for enhancing secondary metabolite production in adventitious root cultures of several plants such as Valeriana amurensis (Cui et al, 2012), M. citrifolia (Baque et al, 2012b), Angelica gigas (Rhee et al, 2010) and Withania somnifera (Sivanandhan et al, 2012). Enhanced Table 2 Influence of different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators on biomass and plumbagin accumulation of adventitious root cultures of Plumbago rosea in MS liquid medium.…”

Studies on saponin production in tropical medicinal plants Maesa argentea and Maesa lanceolata

“…The elicitation process is generally regarded as the expression of defense-related genes and activating defense-related secondary metabolic pathways. Elicitation is a very complex process and depends on many factors such as elicitor concentration, growth stage of the culture at the time of elicitor addition and contact time with the elicitor [17]. In addition, the response to a particular elicitor may vary from plant to plant.…”

Production of Withanolides from Cell and Organ Cultures of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

“…The effect of various organic additives (L-glutamine, casein hydrolysate, adenine sulphate, coconut water and malt extract) and seaweed extracts ( Sargassum wightii and Gracilaria edulis ) were studies by Sivanandhan et al [ 13 ] on the biomass accumulation and withanolide production. Among the different organic additives supplemented in the cell In the adventitious root cultures of Withania , salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate at different concentrations and different exposure time were studied for the biomass accumulation and withanolide production and the results suggested that addition of 30-day-old adventitious root cultures with 150 μM salicylic acid for 4 h elicitor exposure period and harvesting the adventitious roots at 40 days interval resulted in the highest production of withanolides compared to the methyl jasmonate treatments [ 47 ]. In another study, Sivanandhan et al [ 17 ] reported that chitosan at 100 mg L −1 with 4 h exposure time stimulated the higher withanolides production at the end of 6 weeks of culture period when compared with different concentrations and exposure time of chitosan and aluminium chloride.…”