Effective elicitation factors in Morinda elliptica cell suspension culture

Cell suspension cultures of Morinda elliptica were treated with different types of elicitors (yeast extract, jasmonic acid, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus fungal mycelium homogenates, chitosan and glucan) at different stage of cell growth cycle. Different elicitors depending on concentration and day of treatment exerted different effects on cell growth and anthraquinone (AQ) production. Jasmonic acid (JA) elicitor treatment during early and exponential growth phase showed significant AQ induction than during stationary growth phase. JA addition at 50 μM, on day 12 with cultures harvested on day 15, enhanced AQ content to 39.6 mg g −1 DW, which was 2.1-fold to control, but with cell DW at 35 g l −1 which was comparable to control. With 100 μM JA additions on days 6 and 12, with cultures harvested after 5 days, intracellular AQ contents at 26.6 and 21.9 mg g −1 DW, which were 2.9-fold and 1.4-fold more than control, respectively. With 100 μM JA treatment on day 12 and cultures harvested on day 17, nordamnacanthal, 1-hydroxy-2-methylanthraquinone and lucidin- ω-methyl ether registered at 3.31, 3.02 and 1.84 mg g −1 DW, respectively was 2.3-fold, 3.2-fold and 3.5-fold, respectively, more than control. Alizarin-1-methyl ether at 0.98 mg g −1 DW was only synthesized in 100 μM JA elicited cells, treated on day 6 and cultures harvested on day 11.