Investigation of the effect of light, phenylalanine and caffeic acid on the production of phenolic acids in cell suspension culture of Salvia leriifolia

Abstract: Salvia leriifolia is a medicinal plant belonging to lamiaceae family. In this study, the influence of light, phenylalanine and caffeic acid on cell growth and accumulations of phenolic acids were investigated. For this propose, the leaf explants were cultured in MS medium supplemented with BAP and NAA for callus induction. A cell suspension culture of S. leriifolia derived from leaf -derived callus was established in liquid MS medium with the same hormonal content. The biomass and phenolic acids content were analyzed after 15 days of the culture. Quantitative analyses of the phenolic acids in ethanolic extracts from the biomass were conducted by applying the HPLC method. Both dry weight and phenolic acid content were increased by light irradiation. Addition of 10 mg/l phenylalanine enhanced accumulation of caffeic acid (4fold),rosmarinic acd(4fold) and Salvianolic acid(1.6fold)  compared to control. Addition of 10 mg/l caffeic acid decreased cell growth and accumulation of phenolic acids. This study will help us understand how secondary metabolism in Salvia leriifolia responds to precursors and light provide a reference for the improvement of the production of targeted compounds in the near future.