Phyllanthus amarus shoot cultures as a source of biologically active lignans: the influence of selected plant growth regulators

This is the first comprehensive study of the influence of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on the development of shoots and accumulation of biologically active lignans—phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin, in the shoot culture of P. amarus Schum. & Thonn. (Euphorbiaceae) obtained by direct organogenesis. The following PGRs were included in the experiments—cytokinins: kinetin (Kin), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 2-isopentenyladenine (2iP), 1-phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)urea, thidiazuron (TDZ) and auxin, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and used at various concentrations. Depending on PGRs and their concentrations, differences in the culture response and lignan accumulation were observed. The highest content of the investigated compounds was found in the shoot culture grown on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with Kin 0.25 mg/L. The sum of phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin was ~ 10 mg/g of dry weight (DW), which was similar or even higher than that in the plant material obtained from natural conditions. The results of the research provide new data on the selection of the optimal growth medium for the production of plant material with a significant level of phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin biosynthesis. The obtained data may also be valuable in designing systems for large-scale cultivation of P. amarus shoots with high productivity of hepatoprotective lignans.