Chemical profile analysis of germinated in vitro seedlings of Diospyros anisandra

Abstract

Diospyros anisandra is a tree known for its valuable metabolites; however, its application to commercial production has been limited. In vitro culture is a viable option to obtain their metabolites for this purpose. This study revealed a significant advance by achieving, for the first time, the successful establishment of in vitro germination and phytochemical analysis of seedlings obtained in these controlled systems for Diospyros anisandra. We explored a method of scarification and stratification to accelerate the germination. It was found that adding gibberellic acid (GA3) to Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) nutrient medium led to 73% germination at a concentration of 57.8 μM GA3. Afterward, in whole seedlings, bioactive metabolites such as plumbagin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, taraxasterol, vitamin E, and betulonic acid were detected in the seedlings 90 days after planting. These are very similar to what plants have in their natural state. Therefore, in vitro cultivation emerged as a strategy that allows for the easy obtaining of plant material, thereby favoring the extraction of compounds in relatively short periods. Overall, this study lays a solid foundation for exploring the biotechnological potential of D. anisandra.