Abstract
The present work was aimed at studying the potential of elicitation on the accumulation of phenolic compounds in in vitro shoot cultures of Eryngium alpinum L., a protected plant from the Apiaceae family. The study examined the influence of (+)-usnic acid on the biomass growth as well as on the biosynthesis of the desired flavonoids and phenolic acids in the cultured microshoots. The phenolic compound content was determined by HPLC-DAD. The flavonoid of the highest concentration was isoquercetin, and the phenolic acids of the highest amount were rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, both in the non-elicited and elicited biomass. Isoquercetin accumulation was efficiently increased by a longer elicitation with a lower concentration of lichenic compound (107.17 ± 4.67 mg/100 g DW) or a shorter elicitation with a higher concentration of acid (127.54 ± 11.34 and 108.37 ± 12.1 mg/100 g DW). Rosmarinic acid production generally remained high in all elicited and non-elicited microshoots. The highest content of this acid was recorded at 24 h of elicitation with 3.125 µM usnic acid (512.69 ± 4.89 mg/100 g DW). The process of elicitation with (+)-usnic acid, a well-known lichenic compound with allelopathic nature, may therefore be an effective technique of enhancing phenolic compound accumulation in alpine eryngo microshoot biomass.
Highlights
Eryngium alpinum L. is an herbaceous perennial plant from the Apiaceae family
Taking into account the results of previous experiments [8,9] of the selection of in vitro conditions in which the tissues of E. alpinum shoots accumulated an increased content of bioactive phenolic compounds, the best composition of the medium and the system of agitated shoots were selected for the use of biotechnological treatment
The microshoot culture of E. alpinum was stabilized under controlled conditions
Summary
Eryngium alpinum L. is an herbaceous perennial plant from the Apiaceae family. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species indicates that this species is ‘Near Threatened’ [1]. Due to the environmental and climatic changes affecting the fragmentation of the habitats and the protection status of E. alpinum, it is not possible to harvest the material from the natural environment. For this reason, in vitro systems may become an alternative source of the genetically aligned plant biomass. Plant in vitro systems bring many advantages—they enable continuous production of uniform biomass from protected species independently of climatic, environmental and soil conditions. Plant biomass with good biotechnological parameters may become a material for phytochemical and biological research, without the overexploitation of the natural environment [5]. It is an innovative research system that enables the study of organ biology and the possibility of accumulation of selected compounds under the application of biotechnology-based approaches [6]
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