Abstract

This study addresses the favourable effects of drought stress imposed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 on the micropropagated shoots of Stevia rebaudiana. Various concentrations, i.e., 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% of PEG 6000 were applied to the nodal shoot explants for four weeks, and the influence produced on shoots growth parameters, bioactive steviol glycosides (rebaudioside A and stevioside), and nonenzymatic antioxidant activities (total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total reducing power (TRP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)-free radical scavenging activity (FRSA)) was elucidated. The significantly highest yield (92.4% direct shoot organogenesis) and secondary metabolites (2.94% Reb A, 2.52% ST, 95.3% DPPH-FRSA, 15.0% TPC, 13.0 µg/mg TFC, 22.3 µg/mg TAC, and 19.8 µg/mg TRP) production in response to abiotic stress elicitors was obtained in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium treatment provided with 4% of PEG 6000. The overall trend was significant enhancement of growth dynamics and pharmaceutical compounds from control to 4% of PEG 6000 concentration as a defensive response against reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in excess by water deficit. This is a very promising study to be employed in bioreactors to get markedly enhanced content of compounds of medicinal importance in the pharmaceutical market.

Highlights

  • IntroductionCommonly called “sweet leaf”, is a perennial shrub distributed in South America mainly Brazil and Paraguay [1]

  • Stevia rebaudiana, commonly called “sweet leaf”, is a perennial shrub distributed in South America mainly Brazil and Paraguay [1]

  • ANOVA and the significance of difference between means ± SE values was obtained using Duncan’s multiple range tests performed at p < 0.05. This is the first report that brings to the spotlight how the major steviol glycosides

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Summary

Introduction

Commonly called “sweet leaf”, is a perennial shrub distributed in South America mainly Brazil and Paraguay [1]. It is gaining remarkable significance all over the world because of its high potency sweetness. The Stevia leaves are 300 times sweeter than sugar and have no calories [2,3]. New biotechnological approaches have been adopted for maximum production of Stevia progeny and its medicinal components in the minimum period of time [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]

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