Study of the effects of graphite and activated carbon on morphological characteristics and the production of phenolic acid and volatile compound of Plantago maritima under in vitro culture conditions

Abstract

Introduction: The plants of Plantaginaceae family are valuable plants due to the production of secondary metabolites. Today, the production of secondary metabolites using biotechnology is increasing and the plant cell culture enriched with elicitors is a good alternative for material extraction. Goal: The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of Graphite (G) and Activated charcoal (AC) on the morphological characteristics and phenolic acids and volatile compounds of Plantago maritima in cell culture. Material & metods: Seedlings Plantago maritima cultured in MS medium with different concentrations of G and AC (0, 2, 4, 8 g/L) either individually. After, growth parameters, amounts of total phenol, total flavonoids, antioxidants and photosynthetic pigments were evaluated. LC-MS and GC-MS methods were used to assessment phenolic acids and volatile compounds, respectively. Results: The results indicated that G at high concentrations (4 and 8 g/L) and AC at low concentrations (2 and 4 g/L) led to a considerable rise the morphological characteristics compared to the control (P <0.05). Treatmentss with high concentrations of AC (4 and 8 g/L) had the most total phenol and antioxidant activity, whereas the highest amount of pigments was observed in the treatment of 2 g/l G. According to the results of GC-MS, non-terpenoid compounds had the highest amount of compounds in the control and all treatments. The results of LC-MS showed that Ferulic acid and Rosmarinic acid were detected in the treatments of 8 g/L AC, G and 4 g/L AC, respectively, mentioned phenolic acids were not observed in the control. Discussion: The optimal concentrations of G and AC in the plant cell culture of Plantago maritima could make positive changes in the production of secondary metabolites and morphological characteristics of the plant.