Elicitation of withaferin-A in hairy root culture of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal using natural polysaccharides

Abstract

Withaferin-A (WA) is a major bioactive compound in the roots of Withania somnifera. It is reported to possess inhibitory effects against breast cancer, liver cancer, melanoma cancer and prostate cancer cells. We developed an elicitation based on the hairy root culture (HRC) protocol for the enhancement of the WA production. Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain R1000 was used for the establishment of hairy root culture. PCR analysis confirmed the integration of the root loci C (rol C) gene in transformed roots. Elicitation of the hairy roots with natural polysaccharides of sodium alginate (SA), k-carrageenan (kC) and chitosan (CH) at various concentrations in the most cases resulted in a higher amount of WA compound. Among the various elicitors, 100 mg L−1 CH resulted 4.03-fold increase in WA production than control. This study is the first report in W. somnifera hairy roots, where the natural polysaccharides are used as elicitors for the large-scale production of WA.