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Increased production of withanolide A, withanone, and withaferin A in hairy root cultures of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal elicited with methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid

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Abstract

Withania somnifera, an important medicinal plant that possesses a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites collectively known as withanolides. Hairy roots with an initial inoculum mass of 5 g FW were elicited separately with methyl jasmonate (MeJ) and salicylic acid (SA) at various concentrations for different exposure times after 30 days of culture. Enhanced production of biomass (32.68 g FW and 5.54 g DW; 1.23-fold higher), withanolide A (132.44 mg/g DW; 58-fold higher), withanone (84.35 mg/g DW; 46-fold higher), and withaferin A (70.72 mg/g DW; 42-fold higher) were achieved from 40 day-old harvested hairy roots elicited with 150 μM SA for 4 h exposure time. The present study reports a higher production of withanolide A, withanone and withaferin A from the elicited-hairy roots of W. somnifera under optimal inoculum mass, harvest time, elicitor exposure time and its concentration. These results will be useful for biochemical and bioprocess engineering for the viable production of withanolides in hairy root culture.

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Acknowledgments

Prof. A. Ganapathi is thankful to the University Grants Commissions (UGC), Government of India, for the award of UGC-BSR (Basic Scientific Research Fellowship). The first author thankfully acknowledges the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, for the award of CSIR-SRF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

    Ganeshan Sivanandhan, Gnanajothi Kapil Dev, Murugaraj Jeyaraj, Manoharan Rajesh, Annavi Arjunan, Manickam Muthuselvam, Markandan Manickavasagam & Andy Ganapathi

  2. Department of Botany, Periyar E. V. R College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

    Natesan Selvaraj

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  1. Ganeshan Sivanandhan
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  2. Gnanajothi Kapil Dev
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  3. Murugaraj Jeyaraj
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  4. Manoharan Rajesh
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  5. Annavi Arjunan
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  6. Manickam Muthuselvam
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  7. Markandan Manickavasagam
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  8. Natesan Selvaraj
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  9. Andy Ganapathi
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Correspondence to Markandan Manickavasagam or Andy Ganapathi.

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Sivanandhan, G., Kapil Dev, G., Jeyaraj, M. et al. Increased production of withanolide A, withanone, and withaferin A in hairy root cultures of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal elicited with methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 114, 121–129 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-013-0297-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-013-0297-z

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