Effects of some precursors and elicitors on the growth and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of in vitro Urena lobata L. hairy roots

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of in vitro Urena lobata L. hairy roots to inhibit α-glucosidase for supporting the treatment of type 2 diabetes. To increase the productivities of hairy roots with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in in vitro culture conditions, this study focus on the effects of some metabolic factors such as precursors (L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine) and elicitors (chitosan, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid). They were added to the culture media to investigate the growth and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Urena lobata L. hairy roots. The results showed that for the effects of precursors, only phenylalanine (1 µM) increased root biomass with the highest of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity on the 25th day of culture. In contrast, tyrosine did not play any role in increasing the biomass and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in Urena lobata L. hairy roots. For the effects of elicitors, only chitosan (50 mg/L) resulted in hairy roots with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity higher than the control after 3 days in culture medium. Other elicitors such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid had lower α-glucosidase inhibitory activity than the control. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of phenylalanine and chitosan in increasing the productivity of in vitro hairy roots with higher α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in Urena lobata L.