Produção de carotenoides em culturas in vitro de Cleome rosea Vahl ex DC (Capparaceae) e avaliação de sua toxicidade e potencial antioxidante

Abstract

The production and optimization of plants secondary metabolites with medicinal value have been achieved by using plant tissue culture techniques, which have showed great relevance when considering the conservation status of a species or their occurrence in degraded environments. The present study assessed the production of carotenoids in callus and cell suspension cultures of Cleome rosea Vahl ex DC (Capparaceae), a Brazilian native herbaceous species that occurs mainly in coastal sandy plains (restingas) in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Micropropagated plants obtained from in vitro roots were used as source of explants for callus cultures. Callus biomass accumulation was evaluated on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of the auxins 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 4-Amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (PIC), in the presence of light and in the dark. The use of different culture basal media (B5, Nitsch, and White) was also evaluated. Calogenesis was induced in all treatments; however greater efficiency was achieved by cultures maintained in the light. Exposure of cultures to light was also an essential factor to induce the production of carotenoids. The highest biomass accumulation was achieved by cultures established on MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg.L-1 2,4-D. Callus cultures were subject to treatments with a range of elicitors (chitosan, methyl jasmonate, yeast extract), at different concentrations and time of exposure (7 or 14 days). The highest production of carotenoids was achieved by cultures treated with 300 μM methyl jasmonate (MJ), regardless of time exposure. The chromatographic analysis showed that elicitation with MJ induced an increase in the production of β-carotene. Elicited calluses were used to establish cell suspension cultures (CSC). These cultures were evaluated during three subsequent subcultures performed at 20 days each during the exponential growth phase. Although the CSC have maintained a steady biomass accumulation along successive subcultures, carotenoids content were lower than those achieved by callus cultures and did not present significant differences when compared to CSC established from no elicited callus. Extracts of callus obtained from MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg.L-1 2,4-D were evaluated for their antioxidant potential. These extracts were incubated with plasmid DNA in the presence of stannous chloride (SnCl2), a potent reduced agent. Extracts were used at increasing concentrations (25 - 500 μg.mL-1) and showed a dose-dependent protective action, regardless of their origin. Studies of toxicity using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay revealed that the extracts were not toxic at tested concentrations. This study showed that the use of elicitation was a powerful tool in the optimization of β-carotene production in in vitro cultures of C. rosea and that extracts obtained from these cultures have antioxidant activity, indicating the success of plant tissue culture techniques for production of this metabolite under in vitro condition.