The effect of polyethylene glycol and chitosan on the production of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in Hyoscyamus niger L. cell suspension culture

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

Abstract

Elicitors can stimulate any defense-related pathways, leading to the synthesis of secondary metabolites in plants. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and chitosan elicitors on cell growth and the production of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in Hyoscyamus niger L. cell suspension cultures. Leaves from 6-week-old in vitro plantlets were used as explants for callus induction on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.25 mg/L 2,4-D. After establishing the cell suspension culture, different concentrations of chitosan (0, 25, 50, and 75 mg/L) and PEG (0, 2.5, 5, and 10%) were applied, and cells were harvested after 1, 2, and 3 days. The results showed that elicitor concentration and sampling time did not significantly affect cell growth, but accumulation and production of scopolamine and hyoscyamine varied with elicitor concentration, sampling time, and their interactions. Using chitosan and PEG as elicitors, the maximum scopolamine accumulation and production were 258.93 μg/g DW and 2475.18 μg/L, obtained with 50 mg/L chitosan after 2 days, and 25 mg/L chitosan for 2 days, respectively. The highest hyoscyamine accumulation and production were 146.81 μg/g DW and 2008.09 μg/L obtained 3 days after applying 2.5% PEG, respectively. These results indicate that chitosan is more effective for stimulating scopolamine production, while PEG is more suitable for hyoscyamine production in H. niger L cell suspension culture.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 28 September 2025

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