Project description:The objectives of this study encompassed a thorough exploration of the potential implications of protein profiling in hairy roots, specifically focusing on optimizing and enhancing C. asiatica organ cell biofactories. In this pursuit, we categorized established C. asiatica hairy root lines according to their capacity for centelloside production, classifying them into HIGH, MID, or LOW categories. For comparative analysis, wild adventitious (Adv) roots were extracted from in vitro C. asiatica seedlings and cultivated in solid MS medium at 25°C in complete darkness, serving as control specimens. This meticulous, label-free proteomic analysis enabled the successful identification of several proteins. Our research substantially builds upon and extends the findings presented by Alcalde et al. (2022) (DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1001023). In their study, distinctive morphological and metabolic variations were noted among different C. asiatica hairy root lines. Such differences are presumably attributable to the random incorporation of a selective set of genes from the T-DNA, with particular emphasis on the rol and aux genes.
Project description:Centella asiatica is an important medicinal plant with a wide range of bioactivities associated with its secondary metabolites. Using two extraction procedures, metabolomic approaches were used to investigate changes in the metabolome of C. asiatica cells treated with exogenous MeJA. GC–MS and LC–MS platforms were employed for semi-targeted and untargeted analyses, respectively. Multivariate data analyses indicated concentration-dependent changes in the metabolite profiles, indicative of the cellular response to MeJA. Annotation of biomarkers correlated with the treatment indicate differential responses in flavonoid-, phenylpropanoid (cinnamates)- and terpenoid pathways and changes in fatty acid profiles. MeJA treatment triggered the accumulation of bicyclic sesquiterpenoids (aristolochene, deoxy-capsidiol, 15-hydroxysolavetivone, solavetivone, 3-hydroxylubimin) and a tricyclic sesquiterpenoid (phytuberin), indicating the stimulatory effect of MeJA on this branch of the terpenoid pathways. In contrast, flavonoids were mostly negatively correlated with the treatment. The presence of the sesquiterpenoids in MeJA-elicited cells and other tentatively identified metabolites (abscisic acid, fatty acids, phytosterols and metabolites of shikimate–phenylpropanoid pathways) indicates that the changes in the metabolome are associated with a defensive function in response to elicitation by MeJA, rather than just the amplification of existing terpene pathways. These results provide a detailed and comprehensive picture of metabolic changes occurring in C. asiatica cells in response to MeJA elicitation and contribute to the understanding of flexible and controllable aspects of metabolic manipulation.
Project description:A standardized extract of Centella asiatica (ECa 233) strengthened the hippocampal synapses, resulting in the memory-enhancing effect. The ratio of the major active compounds in the extract – madecassoside [MDS] and asiaticoside [ASS] – is at 1.5 ± 0.5:1. However, the interactions between MDS and ASS are still unknown. To delineate the role of MDS and ASS in ECa 233 on synaptic enhancement by mimicking the applied MDS and ASS concentrations in ECa 233. The hippocampal slices obtained from healthy 8-week-old male Wistar rats and differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were treated with DMSO, ECa 233, MDS, ASS, or MDS+ASS. The hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP was monitored for 3 h. The cell extracted proteins were examined by proteomic analysis. ECa 233 demonstrated the highest hippocampal synaptic response, followed by the MDS+ASS and the MDS, which expressed a stronger synaptic enhancement effect than the ASS. A number of mitochondrial proteins, including NDUFB6, were also expressed in the differentiated SH-SY5Y cells after treatment with ECa 233, ASS, MDS, and MDS+ASS. Our data revealed that the synergistic effect of MDS and ASS in the combined treatment was necessary to achieve the same level of responses obtained from ECa 233 treatment. MDS majorly contributed to the synaptic enhancement action of ECa 233. In addition, all substances were involved in mitochondrial metabolism, a process necessary for providing energy and sustaining synaptic Ca2+ levels in synaptic transmission. This discovery is crucial for dementia drug development because it demonstrated the role of major parent compounds in ECa 233 and their interaction.