Protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Dendrobium Sabin Blue: a novel source for in vitro production of dendrobine and anthocyanin

Dendrobium hybrids have been cultivated as commercially important ornamental plants in the floriculture industry. However, the potential of Dendrobium hybrids as a source of valuable secondary metabolites has not been fully exploited. In this study, the effect of various elicitors on the proliferation of protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Dendrobium Sabin Blue and the corresponding production of dendrobine and anthocyanin was investigated. Yeast extract (YE) and glutamine (both at 200 mg L−1) increased dendrobine content in PLBs by 2.7- and 6.5-fold (54.874 ± 2.553 and 894.481 ± 26.185 ng mg−1dry weight (DW)) compared to controls (20.051 ± 0.182 and 136.956 ± 7.397 ng mg−1 DW). Glutamine (200 mg L−1) also significantly enhanced PLB biomass (0.190 ± 0.009 g) with respect to the control (0.144 ± 0.003 g). Chitosan and salicylic acid (SA) were not effective in enhancing the dendrobine and anthocyanin contents in PLBs. A combination of 4 mg L−1 NAA and 100 mg L−1 arginine increased dendrobine content by 8-fold (123.793 ± 5.446 ng mg−1 DW) compared to the control (15.554 ± 0.406 ng mg−1 DW). Anthocyanin content was increased by 1.7-fold (0.548 ± 0.019 Color Value (CV) g−1 DW) when PLBs treated with 4 mg L−1 TDZ were exposed to 1.5 h of UV irradiation as compared to those without UV treatment (0.331 ± 0.019 CV g−1 DW). Despite the low dendrobine content, PLBs as a source of dendrobine remains appealing due to its short culture duration (6 wk) compared to mother plants (2 yr).