INDUCCIÓN DE ANTOCIANINAS Y COMPUESTOS FENÓLICOS EN CULTIVOS CELULARES DE JAMAICA (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) in vitro

Abstract

Anthocyanins are a group of plant metabolites responsible for the red pigmentation in calyx of roselle (Hybiscus sabdariffa L.. The plant tissue culture has been used for the production of secondary metabolites; however, the potential of plant cell cultures for the production of anthocyanins is still limited. In the present study, an evaluation was made of different inducers of plant growth regulators such as: na¬phthaleneacetic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, kinetin and salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, nitrogen deficiency and osmotic stress to stimulate the production of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds in callus and suspension cells in vitro of three varieties of rosette (China, Reyna and White). The highest content of phenolic compounds in callus was obtained from the variety Reyna with 670 mg of gallic acid equivalents•100 g-1 dry weight under osmotic stress conditions. It induced the production of anthocyanins in callus of the varie¬ties China and Reyna (94 and 161 μg∙g-1 fresh weight, respectively) established on MS medium supplemented with 7.5 mM of inorganic nitrogen. Using a RT-PCR analysis in the calluses that showed production of anthocyanin, the transcriptional expression was shown of genes coding for anthocyanin and flavones synthase 3´-hydroxylase, suggesting that the nitrogen source regulates the final steps in the biosynthetic pathway of anthocyanins in cell cultures of roselle in vitro.