Cadmium chloride elicitation of Abutilon indicum cell suspension cultures for enhanced stigmasterol production

Abutilon indicum (Malvaceae), a therapeutically valuable shrub can act as a continuous source of stigmasterol, accredited with pharmacological significance. In the present study, the content of stigmasterol when analyzed in both in vivo and in vitro plants was found to be 13.89 ± 1.43 and 20.50 ± 2.34 µg/gFW, respectively. The callus obtained from the in vitro plants of A. indicum was found to contain 10.78 ± 0.19 µg/gFW of stigmasterol and was used for initiation of suspension cultures. In comparison to the calli, suspension cultures of A. indicum accumulated considerable amounts of stigmasterol (16.08 ± 1.92 µg/gFW) on the 12th day, i.e., end of log phase. The suspensions on further elicitation with Cadmium Chloride have shown a significant increase (2.59-fold) in the amount of stigmasterol compared to the initial calli, reaching 41.73 ± 3.77 µg/gFW. Thus, cell suspensions of A. indicum offer a unique advantage for large-scale production of stigmasterol under in vitro conditions, by retaining its natural essence and safety in human consumption.