Enhanced accumulation of phytosterols and phenolic compounds in cyclodextrin-elicited cell suspension culture of Daucus carota

•Phytosterols and phenolic compounds were accumulated outside the cells with cyclodextrins.•Carotenoids, α-tocopherol and chlorophylls were mainly accumulated inside the cells.•Cyclodextrins were able to divert the carbon flux towards the synthesis phytosterols. In this work, suspension-cultured cells of Daucus carota were used to evaluate the effect of β-cyclodextrins on the production of isoprenoid and phenolic compounds. The results showed that the phytosterols and phenolic compounds were accumulated in the extracellular medium (15100μgL−1 and 477.46μgL−1, respectively) in the presence of cyclodextrins. Unlike the phytosterol and phenolic compound content, β-carotene (1138.03μgL−1), lutein (25949.54μgL−1) and α-tocopherol (8063.82μgL−1) chlorophyll a (1625.13μgL−1) and b (9.958 (9958.33μgL−1) were mainly accumulated inside the cells. Therefore, cyclodextrins were able to induce the cytosolic mevalonate pathway, increasing the biosynthesis of phytosterols and phenolic compounds, and accumulate them outside the cells. However, in the absence of these cyclic oligosaccharidic elicitors, carrot cells mainly accumulated carotenoids through the methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway. Therefore, the use of cyclodextrins would allow the extracellular accumulation of both phytosterols and phenolic compounds by diverting the carbon flux towards the cytosolic mevalonate/phenylpropanoid pathway.