Enhancement of plumbagin production from Drosera peltata Thunb. using different elicitors

Abstract

In vitro shoot clumps of Drosera peltata were cultured on semi-solid half-strength MS medium with topping by liquid half-strength MS medium supplemented with various concentrations and types of biotic and abiotic elicitors (50-150 mg/L yeast extract, 50-150 mg/L chitosan, 50-200 ??M methyl jasmonate, 1-4 mM cyclodextrin, 10-100 ??M silver nitrate, 5-20 mg/L 2,4-D, 1-10 mM L-alanine and 50-150 ??M salicylic acid for 3 days. Shoot clumps were investigated for plumbagin accumulation using HPLC. Highest plumbagin content (3.45 ?? 0.90 mg/g dry wt.) was detected when 5 mg/L 2,4-D was used as the elicitor, almost 3 times higher than the control treatment (1.22 ?? 0.08 mg/g dry wt) while other elicitors also significantly stimulated higher plumbagin content than the control treatment. Results revealed that relatively high concentrations of 2,4-D, commonly used in tissue culture media, elicited high plumbagin contents from in vitro D. peltata shoot clumps