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The effects of chitosan and salicylic acid on elicitation of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity of safflower under in vitro salinity stress

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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of different concentrations of two elicitors, namely chitosan (CHT) (25 and 50 mg L−1) and salicylic acid (SA) (50 and 100 mg L−1) on the production of secondary metabolites (SMs) and antioxidant activity of safflower callus under salinity stress. The content of total phenolics, total flavonoids, total flavonols, anthocyanin and antioxidant activity with 1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH), significantly increased under salinity stress including 1.5% (w/v) sodium chloride. Under salinity stress, the highest content of total phenolics and total flavonoids were observed under elicitation by 50 (mg L−1) of SA and 25 (mg L−1) of CHT, but the highest callus growth rate (0.048 mm day−1), highest content of total flavonols (4.2 mg RE g−1 FW) and the highest DPPH activity (61.48% of inhibition) were observed under elicitation by 50 (mg L−1) of SA under salinity stress. This indicated partial superiority elicitation of SA over CHT for callus growth and SMs production of safflower under salinity stress. This new elicitation opens new avenues for the selection and exploitation of the best elicitors and their dosages for the enhancement of commercially important SMs in safflower as an important medicinal plant at cellular level.

Key message

Effects of chitosan and salicylic acid on elicitation of SMs of safflower under in vitro salinity stress.

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Abbreviations

SA:

Salicylic acid

CHT:

Chitosan

DPPH:

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

SMs:

Secondary metabolites

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TPC:

Total phenolics content

TFD:

Total flavonoids content

TFL:

Total flavonols content

2,4-D:

2,4-Dichlrophenoxyacetic acid

Kin:

Kinetin

Ant:

Anthocyanin

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Research Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 8415683111, Iran

    Pooran Golkar, Marzieh Taghizadeh & Zeinab Yousefian

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  1. Pooran Golkar
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  2. Marzieh Taghizadeh
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  3. Zeinab Yousefian
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Correspondence to Pooran Golkar.

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Golkar, P., Taghizadeh, M. & Yousefian, Z. The effects of chitosan and salicylic acid on elicitation of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity of safflower under in vitro salinity stress. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 137, 575–585 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-019-01592-9

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