Biotic elicitation: A strategy for enhancement of antidiabetic gymnemic acid from Gymnema Sylvestre Zimare Saurabha B.1,2,*, Kakade Prachi S.1, Malpathak Nutan P. 1Department of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune-411007, (MH), India 2Naoroji Godrej Centre for Plant Research (NGCPR). C/o Lawkim Motors Division. Gate no. 431, Shindewadi, Post Shirwal, Dist. Satara. Maharashtra, India *Email: saurabhabot@gmail.com
Online published on 24 September, 2018. Abstract Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R. Br. ex Sm. is a member of family Apocynaceaewidely used in Indian and Chinese system of medicine to treat various diseases. It is believed that the medicinal property of G. sylvestre is mainly because of gymnemic acid which is a oleanane type of triterpenoid saponin. Sources for naturally occurring saponins are limited by restricted availability, geographical and seasonal variations while on the other hand it is commercially in demand. In vitro cultures of many medicinal plant species are source of several secondary metabolites which has been favoured mainly as drugs. Plants produce various secondary metabolites as a defence mechanism when attacked by pathogens which is known as elicitors. In present study eight weeks old in vitro grown shoots of G. sylvestre were elicited with three different fungal elicitors namely Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizoctonia solani to score their effect on gymnemic acid production. Maximum gymnemic acid content was obtained in shoot cultures treated with A. alternata (23.22 mg/g DW) which was followed by B. cinerea (17.36 mg/g D W) and R. solani (16.54 mg/g DW). Use of elicitation for production of gymnemic acid in in vitro shoot cultures of G. sylvestre has been reported for the first time. Top Keywords Biotic elicitor, Gymnema sylvestre, Gymnemic acid, HPTLC, Shoot culture. Top |