Enhanced production of bioactive compound in the callus culture of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. with the improved biomass accumulation

Abstract Licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ) of Fabaceae family is known to have wide range of medicinal properties due to the metabolites found in the plant’s tissue. Callus cultures from Glycyrrhiza glabra were previously initiated in vitro using leaf as an explant. The current study was designed in a way to examine the possible role of different elicitors concentrations on the stimulation of biomass and their effects on different metabolite content such as total carbohydrates, protein, proline, phenol, alkaloid, flavonoid and glycyrrhizin. Elicitation with different concentration of elicitors increased the biomass and metabolite content in callus culture of G. glabra at different rates. The optimum concentration of adenine sulphate for maximum biomass accumulation (16.79 g/flask) was found to be at 50 mg/l on the incubation of 20 th days. Adenine sulphate as well as putrescine was also found to stimulate the different metabolite content to 3-4 folds in the callus cultures as compared to that of control. Results showed that the metabolite content and antioxidant enzyme of Glycyrrhiza glabra can be enhanced by appropriate forms of elicitation.