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Elicitation Approaches for Withanolide Production in Hairy Root Culture of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

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Biotechnology of Plant Secondary Metabolism

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1405))

Abstract

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is a versatile medicinal plant extensively utilized for production of phytochemical drug preparations. The roots and whole plants are traditionally used in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha medicines, as well as in homeopathy. Several studies provide evidence for an array of pharmaceutical properties due to the presence of steroidal lactones named “withanolides.” A number of research groups have focused their attention on the effects of biotic and abiotic elicitors on withanolide production using cultures of adventitious roots, cell suspensions, shoot suspensions, and hairy roots in large-scale bioreactor for producing withanolides. This chapter explains the detailed procedures for induction and establishment of hairy roots from leaf explants of W. somnifera, proliferation and multiplication of hairy root cultures, estimation of withanolide productivity upon elicitation with salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate, and quantification of major withanolides by HPLC. The protocol herein described could be implemented for large-scale cultivation of hairy root biomass to improve withanolide production.

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Acknowledgments

Prof. A. Ganapathi is thankful to the University Grants Commissions (UGC), Government of India, for the award of UGC-BSR (Basic Scientific Research Fellowship). The first author thankfully acknowledges the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, for the award of CSIR-SRF. All authors acknowledge the CSIR, Government of India, for providing financial support to carry out this work. All the authors are grateful to Dr. S. Girija of the Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, for providing the HPLC facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 305 764, South Korea

    Ganeshan Sivanandhan

  2. Department of Botany, Periyar E. V. R College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, 620 023, Tamil Nadu, India

    Natesan Selvaraj

  3. Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India

    Andy Ganapathi & Markandan Manickavasagam

Authors
  1. Ganeshan Sivanandhan
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  2. Natesan Selvaraj
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  3. Andy Ganapathi
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  4. Markandan Manickavasagam
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ganeshan Sivanandhan or Markandan Manickavasagam .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Arthur Germano Fett-Neto

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Sivanandhan, G., Selvaraj, N., Ganapathi, A., Manickavasagam, M. (2016). Elicitation Approaches for Withanolide Production in Hairy Root Culture of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. In: Fett-Neto, A. (eds) Biotechnology of Plant Secondary Metabolism. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1405. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3393-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3393-8_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3391-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3393-8

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