Optimization of Flavonoid Production in Plant Cell Culture of Thevetia peruviana Elicited with Methyl Jasmonate and Salicylic Acid

Thevetia peruviana is a medicinal plant that has valuable secondary terpenoid-type metabolites and phenolic compounds. Some flavonoid compounds of pharmaceutical interest stand out in the latter group. The concentration of these bioactive compounds in natural conditions is limited by environmental; therefore, it has been considered necessary to make in vitro plant cell suspension cultures that admit the use of elicitors to increase the content of active principles. Accordingly, in this study, for the optimization of flavonoid production in cell suspension culture of T. peruviana, different parameters related to elicitation with methyl jasmonate (MeJa), and salicylic acid (SA) were evaluated, at stirred flask scale. Firstly, 3 μM MeJa and 300 μM SA were added separately in cell cultures of T. peruviana, to assess their potential effects. Secondly, several experimental conditions were evaluated, for optimization purpose. In the first part, MeJa and SA increased the total flavonoid content, in 1.07 and 1.3 times, respectively, compared to the control culture; in the second part, total flavonoid content produced in MeJa mediated cell suspension cultures were 4.14 mg QE/g DW (milligrams of quercetin equivalent per gram of dry biomass) with: concentration 0.3 μM, addition time day 5 and harvest time 90 h. On the other hand, total flavonoid content produced in SA mediated cell suspension cultures were 3.75 mg QE/g DW with: concentration 100 μM, addition time day 0 and harvest time 96 h. Elicitation of cell suspension cultures of T. peruviana with MeJa and SA under their ideal parameter values increased flavonoid content.