Enhanced Biosynthesis of Bacoside A and Biomass from Bacopa Monnieri Suspension Culture Using Biotic and Abiotic Elicitation

Abstract

Bacopa monnieri is graded as 2nd among the most vital Indian medicinal herbs and has been extensively utilized for centuries in traditional ayurvedic systems due to its nootropic property. It is widely utilised as a drug for boosting memory activities, combating mental stress effects and used for the treatment of various neurological and psychological diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The principal compound responsible for various pharmacological activities is Triterpenoid saponin “Bacoside”. Increased commercial interest and use of bacoside for medicinal purposes have resulted in its restricted supply in nature, leaving it unable to fulfil human requirements. Since only a small percentage of bacosides (0.05%-0.85%) are synthesized in nature, purifying them from biological sources is laborious and inefficient due to poor yield, impurities, and an excessive amount of biomass is consumed. Exposure of plants to specific stress, elicitor or signal molecules results in enhanced accumulation of secondary metabolites, primarily by stimulating defence and stress-associated responses in plant cells.The success of elicitation strategies largely depends on the optimisation of various factors such as the type of elicitor used, the concentration of elicitor, time duration of exposure, and the treatment schedule. In this current study, Callus culture using Bacopa monnieri leaf explant was successfully established using MS media supplemented with 0.1 mg/l BAP and 1 mg/l NAA. Various biotic and abiotic elicitor (methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, copper sulphate, yeast extract, sodium chloride) at different concentration was supplemented in callus suspension culture to determine its effect on biomass, cell viability and bacoside A synthesis. Elicitation concentration was initially optimised using one factor at a time strategy from which significant elicitors were statically optimised using response surface methodology. The presence of bacoside A was confirmed using HPLC by comparing retention time with commercial standard bacoside A.