AUTHOR=Otari Shreedhar S. , Devkar Suraj P. , Patel Suraj B. , Ghane Savaliram G. 

TITLE=Micropropagation and elicited production of triterpenoid saponin glycosides and stigmasterol via precursor and elicitor feeding in Bacopa floribunda (R.Br.) Wettst.—A potential nootropic herb

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1096842

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1096842

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Bacopa floribunda</italic> (Family: Plantaginaceae) is used in folklore medicines for the management of cognitive dysfunction. It has nootropic, antiaging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholinesterase, and antioxidant properties. We developed an efficient and reproducible protocol for <italic>in vitro</italic> propagation of <italic>B. floribunda</italic> using the nodal explants. We assessed the effects of Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with various plant growth regulatory substances (PGRs), a precursor, and elicitors and their optimal combinations on regeneration and production of total saponins, triterpenoid saponin glycosides (bacoside A3, bacopaside X, bacopaside II, and bacosaponin C), and stigmasterol content in <italic>in vitro</italic> grown biomass of <italic>B. floribunda</italic>. The growth of the shoots and roots was stimulated by MS + 2.0 mg/l BAP + 2.0 mg/l KIN and MS + 0.5 mg/l IAA + 0.5 mg/l IBA + 1.0 mg/l NAA, respectively. After 10 weeks of acclimatization, plantlets of <italic>B. floribunda</italic> had a survival rate of 95%. The highest total saponin content (35.95 ± 0.022 mg DE/g DW) was noted in the treatment of MS + 2.0 mg/l BAP + 1.5 μM SQ. Similarly, total triterpenoid saponin glycosides and stigmasterol were found maximum in biomass derived from MS + 2.0 mg/l BAP + 1.5 μM SQ and MS + 2.0 mg/l BAP, respectively. At the same treatments, bacoside A3 (1.01 ± 0.195 mg/g DW), bacopaside II (43.62 ± 0.657 mg/g DW), bacopaside X (1.23 ± 0.570 mg/g DW), bacosaponin C (0.19 ± 0.195 mg/g DW), and stigmasterol (7.69 ± 0.102 mg/g DW) were reported. The present findings will help to highlight <italic>B. floribunda</italic> as a potent memory-enhancing herb, and in future also, it could be a potential substitute to <italic>B. monnieri</italic>. The current work is the first to describe the micropropagation and the elicited production of bioactive metabolites from the <italic>in vitro</italic> grown biomass of <italic>B. floribunda</italic>. In addition, further research is needed on production of bioactives, their pharmacological effects, and the elicited production using callus, cell suspension, and hairy root cultures.</p>