The influence of elicitors on the production of plumbagin and the expression of polyketide synthase gene in the cell suspension culture of Plumbago europeae L.
摘要
Plumbago europaea L. has acquired considerable medicinal importance owing to the presence of its noteworthy secondary metabolite, plumbagin. This plant species has a variety of therapeutic benefits, including anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and antioxidant properties. In the present work, the effects of salicylic acid at concentrations of 50.0, 100.0, and 200.0 μM, methyl jassonate at 100.0, 150.0, and 300.0 μM, yeast extract at 100.0, 250.0, and 500.0 mg L−1, and chitosan at 50.0, 100.0, and 200.0 mg L−1 on the growth rate, plumbagin production, and PKS gene expression were analyzed in the cell suspension culture of P. europaea. The investigation was further conducted at optimal elicitor concentrations, with assessments made at 1, 3, and 6 days (d) following their introduction to the medium. The growth of P. europaea cells was significantly reduced when exposed to high concentrations of the applied elicitors. The highest decrease in growth was recorded at a concentration of 300.0 mg L−1of chitosan. Notably, the production of plumbagin was raised by all the elicitors utilized in the cell culture media. The highest amount of plumbagin was achieved 1-d after treatment with 150.0 mg L−1 of chitosan, reaching a 6.9-fold increase compared to the control. The application of chitosan to the cell suspension culture resulted in the release of plumbagin into the culture medium, a response that was not observed with other elicitors. The results of this study indicate that the elicitors impact the plumbagin biosynthetic pathway in P. europaea by acting through the Polyketide synthase (PKS) gene. In this context, a notable correlation was observed between the production of plumbagin and the expression of the PKS gene. The obtained results confirmed that the elicitor's type, concentration, and exposure duration are crucial in the elicitation process.