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Transition from in vitro to an ex vitro environment: is the metabolism altered?

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Abstract

The polyphenolic content and antimicrobial activity of 1-year-old ex vitro-acclimatized plant samples of the endangered plant species Merwilla plumbea were evaluated. Acclimatized plants were derived from in vitro media containing different supplements. Spectrophotometric techniques and micro-dilution assays for the determination of polyphenols and antimicrobial activities, respectively, were used. Significantly higher levels of total phenols, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins were recorded in the greenhouse-acclimatized plants compared to the in vitro-derived samples. In contrast with the untreated field-grown plants, the levels of these compounds in both in vitro-derived and ex vitro-acclimatized plants yielded multiple-fold increases. The highest levels of flavonoids were obtained in ex vitro plants treated with 200 mg l−1 yeast malt broth (YMB), 0.45 μM thidiazuron (TDZ), and 0.054 μM naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The same treatment also exhibited good antimicrobial activity, an attribute that might suggest the involvement of these compounds in the observed bioactivity. The fact that Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with organic elicitors differentially affected the accumulated levels of polyphenols in vitro, and their subsequent carry-over and higher expression in an ex vitro environment over time, makes the technology an attractive system for commercial multiplication and cultivation of medicinal plants.

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Acknowledgements

The University of KwaZulu-Natal and National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa are acknowledged for financial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa

    Bhekumthetho Ncube, Ponnusamy Baskaran & Johannes Van Staden

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  1. Bhekumthetho Ncube
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  2. Ponnusamy Baskaran
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  3. Johannes Van Staden
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Correspondence to Johannes Van Staden.

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Editor: John Forster

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Ncube, B., Baskaran, P. & Van Staden, J. Transition from in vitro to an ex vitro environment: is the metabolism altered?. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 51, 166–173 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-014-9657-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-014-9657-6

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