Production of centellosides and phytosterols in cell suspension cultures of Centella asiatica

Abstract

Centella asiatica is a herbaceous plant used in medicine for its wound-healing and anti-inflammatory properties. Its bioactive compounds are ursane-type triterpene saponins known as centellosides. With the aim of increasing the biotechnological production of these compounds, C. asiatica cell suspensions were established and treated with two concentrations (100 and 200 lM) of methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The maximum centelloside production was observed in the stationary growth phase, reaching 0.16 mg g -1 dry weight (DW) at day 25 of the culture in the control and 1.11 mg -1 g DW at day 15 in the MeJA-elicited cultures. The elicitor did not change the centelloside pattern, with madecassoside being the main compound, followed by asiaticoside. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of the b-amyrin synthase gene (CabAS, the specific oxidosqualene cyclase that leads to centelloside formation) showed higher levels of expression in the elicited cultures than in the control. The maximum content of centellosides was obtained at day 15, with a time lag between gene activation and centelloside biosynthesis. In the cultures elicited with 200 lM MeJA, the centelloside production did not increase compared to the control. Both elicitor concentrations decreased the content of phytosterols. Thus, MeJa elicitation in this type of culture was dose-dependent and its inducing role was apparent at low concentrations.

Methyl jasmonate-induced accumulation of metabolites and transcriptional responses involved in triterpene biosynthesis in Siraitia grosvenorii fruit at different growing stages

“…MeJA is not only a vital regulator in plant defense responses against biotic and abiotic stresses [22][23][24], but also plays a role in plant physiological processes, such as fruit ripening [25], stomatal closure [26], etc. Moreover, research has indicated that exogenous application of MeJA to plant cell cultures or to the intact plant can stimulate the accumulation of a wide range of plant secondary metabolites [27], including terpenoids [28], flavonoids [29], and alkaloids [30] and up-regulate expression of the genes involved in their biosynthesis [31][32][33]. However, the effect of MeJA on cucurbitane-type terpenoids of S. grosvenorii fruit has not yet been investigated.…”

A combination of elicitation and precursor feeding leads to increased anthocyanin synthesis in cell suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera

“…The strategies to improve the productivity include the screening and selection of high-producing cell lines, medium optimization, elicitation, precursor feeding, in situ product removal, immobilization, and so on (Dias et al 2009;Rhee et al 2010;Verpoorte et al 1999;Zhang and Furusaki 1999). Among all these strategies, elicitation is one of the most effective ways (Bonfill et al 2011;Dass and Ramawat 2009;Frankfater et al 2009;Ketchum et al 1999;Kim et al 2009;Korsangruang et al 2010;Verpoorte et al 1999;Wise et al 2009). Elicitors are defined as molecules that stimulate defense or stress-induced responses in plants, which are classified as biotic or abiotic depending on their origin.…”

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

“…These compounds are involved in crucial processes related to plant development and survival, including, senescence, reproduction, fruit development, direct and indirect defense responses, and secondary metabolism [6,7]. Among jasmonates, jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) are commonly used for enhancing secondary metabolites production like saponins [8]. Therefore, we tested the effect of 0.1 mM MeJA on in vitro shoots of all four Maesa species and investigated saponin production with TLC (Fig.…”