Methyl Jasmonate and Salicylic Acid Enhanced the Production of Ursolic and Oleanolic Acid in Callus Cultures of Lepechinia Caulescens

Víctor M Vergara Martínez; Samuel E Estrada-Soto; José de Jesús Arellano-García; Julio C Rivera-Leyva; Patricia Castillo-España; Angélica Flores Flores; Alexandre T Cardoso-Taketa; Irene Perea-Arango

doi:10.4103/pm.pm_77_17

Methyl Jasmonate and Salicylic Acid Enhanced the Production of Ursolic and Oleanolic Acid in Callus Cultures of Lepechinia Caulescens

Pharmacogn Mag. 2018 Jan;13(Suppl 4):S886-S889. doi: 10.4103/pm.pm_77_17. Epub 2018 Jan 31.

Authors

Víctor M Vergara Martínez¹, Samuel E Estrada-Soto², José de Jesús Arellano-García¹, Julio C Rivera-Leyva², Patricia Castillo-España¹, Angélica Flores Flores², Alexandre T Cardoso-Taketa¹, Irene Perea-Arango¹

Affiliations

¹ Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
² Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.

Abstract

Background: The production of triterpenes from plants for pharmacological purposes varies in concentration, due to genetic and environmental factors. In vitro culture enables the control and increase of these bioactive molecules.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of plant growth regulators and elicitors in the induction of calli and the production of ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) in Lepechinia caulescens.

Materials and methods: Leaf explants were exposed for the induction of calli at different concentrations and combinations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicylic acid were used as elicitors. High-performance liquid chromatography method was used to quantify UA and OA content in each treatment.

Results: Treatment with 3.0 mg/L of 2,4-D and 0.1 mg/L of BAP produced the best results for calli induction and production of UA (1.57 mg/g dry weight [DW]) and OA (1.13 mg/g DW). Both elicitors facilitated the accumulation of triterpenes.

Conclusion: The combination of auxins and cytokinins showed favorable results for the induction of calli. Variation concerning the accumulation of UA and OA was observed between treatments. MJ increased the production of triterpenes five times after 8 h of exposure, compared to control treatment. There is a greater accumulation of UA (16.58 mg/g DW) and OA (1.94 mg/g DW) in leaves of wild plants.

Summary: Callus cultures of Lepechinia caulescens were obtained from leaf explants treated with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 6-bencylaminopurineResulting cultures were elicited with methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicylic acid to increase the production of the triterpenes, ursolic acid (UA), and oleanolic acid (OA)The cultures elicited with MJ increased the production of UA and OA five times, as compared to the control. Abbreviations used: 2,4-D: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, BAP: 6-benzylaminopurine, DW: Dry weight, MJ: Methyl jasmonate, OA: Oleanolic acid, PGRs: Plant growth regulators, UA: Ursolic acid, SA: Salicylic acid.

Keywords: Elicitor; Lepechinia caulescens; plant growth regulators; triterpenes.