Use of β-cyclodextrins to enhance phytosterol production in cell suspension cultures of carrot (Daucus carota L.)

Abstract

Phytosterols are isoprenoid-derived compounds that play essential roles in plant growth and development as they are integral components of the plant cell membranes, and responsible for their permeability and fluidity. In this study, the effect of different types of beta-cyclodextrins (β-CD) on phytosterol production was evaluated using Daucus carota cell suspension cultures. A detailed analysis provides the optimal type and concentration of β-CD, elicitation time, and the optimal cell age and density. The highest levels of phytosterols produced by cells and secreted to the culture medium were obtained when 10 day-old D. carota cell suspension cultures, with an initial cell density of 200 g of fresh weight (FW) l−1, were incubated in the presence of 50 mM of methylated-β-CD (M-β-CD) for 144 h. In addition, M-β-CD significantly promoted the accumulation of phytosterol in the extracellular medium of D. carota cell suspension cultures, which was not observed in control cell suspension cultures. Moreover, these high phytosterol levels did not improve when methyl jasmonate (MJ) was added to the cell suspension cultures alone or combined with 50 mM M-β-CD, although MJ stimulated the formation of defense-related compounds. Therefore, the use of carrot cell suspension cultures seems a promising biotechnological alternative since the addition of β-CD to the culture medium not only induced the biosynthesis of phytosterols but also promoted their secretion into the culture medium, where they were accumulated and could be isolated easily.