Establishment of in vitro regeneration system for Acaciella angustissima (Timbe) a shrubby plant endemic of México for the production of phenolic compounds

[Display omitted] •2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and Benzylaminopurine favors the formation of callus of Acaciella angustissima.•Shoot frequency regeneration was obtained with NAA at 0.4mg/l and BAP at 7mg/l.•A regeneration system of Acaciella angustissima was established.•Methanolic extracts of callus is a good source of phenolic compounds.•Alternative system of production of phenolic compounds was proposed. Native plants with ecological, medical and industrial potential, as Timbe tree (Acaciella angustissima), are categorized as specific targets for biotechnological improvement. The establishment of a tissue culture system as an alternative system of production of secondary metabolites of chemical and pharmaceutical interest was made in this investigation. An in vitro method was developed for the production of phenolic compounds from callus cultures of A. angustissima. Friable and light yellow colored callus was induced from epicotyl explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2% sucrose, 0.3% of phytagel, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (1.5mg/l) and Benzylaminopurine (5mg/l). In order to increase the biomass these calli were repeatedly subcultured (3–4 week interval) onto MS medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid at 2mg/l and coconut water at 10%. High frequency shoot regeneration was achieved from epicotyl explants of A. angustissima. Adventitious shoots were produced from organogenic callus when it was transferred to MS medium supplemented with Naphthaleneacetic acid at 0.4mg/l and Benzylaminopurine at 7mg/l, with shoot induction frequency of 60% and 1.4 shoots by explant. The absence of plant growth regulators allowed a maximum percentage of rooting (85%) and a good number of roots (2.23) per shoot. The total phenolic content varied significantly (p