Abstract
BackgroundSweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the most important consumed crops in many parts of the world because of its economic importance and content of health-promoting phytochemicals.MethodsWith the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) as our model, we investigated the exogenous effects of three plant-growth regulators methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA), and abscisic acid (ABA) on major phytochemicals in relation to phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity. Specifically, we investigated the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and total β-carotene content (TCC). Individual phenolic and flavonoid compounds were identified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Antioxidant activities of treated plants were evaluated using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and a β-carotene bleaching assay. Anticancer activity of extracts was evaluated against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) using MTT assay.ResultsTPC, TFC, TAC, and TCC and antioxidant activities were substantially increased in MeJA-, SA-, and ABA-treated plants. Among the secondary metabolites identified in this study, MeJA application significantly induced production of quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. Luteolin synthesis was significantly induced by SA application. Compared with control plants, MeJA-treated sweet potato exhibited the highest PAL activity, followed by SA and ABA treatment. The high DPPH activity was observed in MeJA followed by SA and ABA, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 2.40, 3.0, and 3.40 mg/mL compared with α-tocopherol (1.1 mg/mL). Additionally, MeJA-treated sweet potato showed the highest β-carotene bleaching activity, with an IC50 value of 2.90 mg/mL, followed by SA (3.30 mg/mL), ABA (3.70 mg/mL), and control plants (4.5 mg/mL). Extracts of sweet potato root treated with MeJA exhibited potent anticancer activity with IC50 of 0.66 and 0.62 mg/mL against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines respectively, compared to that of extracts of sweet potato treated with SA (MDA-MB-231 = 0.78 mg/mL; MCF-7 = 0.90 mg/mL) and ABA (MDA-MB-231 = 0.94 mg/mL; MCF-7 = 1.40 mg/mL). The results of correlation analysis showed that anthocyanins and flavooids are corresponding compounds in sweet potato root extracts for anticancer activity against breast cancer cell lines.ConclusionsMeJA has great potential to enhance the production of important health-promoting phytochemicals in sweet potato.
Highlights
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the most important consumed crops in many parts of the world because of its economic importance and content of health-promoting phytochemicals
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of major elicitors are jasmonic acid (MeJA), abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA) on assessment of synthesis of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, anthocyanin and β-carotene in relation to Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) enzyme activity as well as the antioxidant and anticancer activities in sweet potato, Garnet yam cultivar
Effect of plant-growth regulators (PGRs) treatments on total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total anthocyanin content (TAC) and β-carotene content The results of present study showed that PGR treatments induced the accumulation of TPC, TFC, TAC, and β-carotene in sweet potato root (Table 1)
Summary
Plant sampling and treatments Seeds of the sweet potato cultivar Garnet Yam were sterilized with 1 % hypochlorite solution for 2–3 min, and washed thoroughly with tap water. Estimation of total anthocyanin content (TAC) Sweet potato root samples (50 mg) were extracted with methanol/HCl (99:1 v/v) solution at 4 °C for overnight. Β-Carotene extraction and analysis Freeze-dried sweet potato powder (5 g) was mixed with 2 g of calcium carbonate, 1 g of diatomaceous earth, and 25 ml of methanol. After 24 h, the medium was removed and the cells were incubated for 3 days in the presence and absence of various concentrations of sweet potato root extract [test extracts were prepared in 0.1 % Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and serially diluted with media to obtain appropriate concentrations]. Mean separation test between treatments was performed using Duncans Multiple Range Test and P-value of < 0.05 was regarded as significant
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