[Effect of some biotic elicitors on flavonoids production in Digitalis lanata cell cultures].
A method to improve the secondary metabolites production in plant cell cultures is the use of elicitors (biotic or abiotic). In this paper we investigated the effect of two biotic elicitors, Botrytis and Sclerotinia, on the flavonoids production, an important category of secondary metabolites, in Digitalis lanata suspension cultures. Were used two cell lines: line 11 and line 13C 100 (aged 10 days). Were used two concentrations of elicitors (1 ml and 2 ml/100 ml suspension, respectively). Flavones were determined by a spectrophotometric method, according to Romanian Pharmacopoeia no. X (Cynarae Folium monography). For both cell lines and for both elicitors, flavonoids accumulation grew with elicitation time and elicitor concentration. The highest flavonoids production took place after 96 hours elicitation time for the highest elicitor .concentration (2ml/100ml suspension). So, line 11 accumulated 1000 mg% flavonoids with Botrytis and 999.81 mg% with Sclerotinia. Line 13C 100 accumulated 1051,65 mg% flavonoids with Botrytis and 1025,43 mg% with Sclerotinia. For all experiments, Botrytis (both concentration) induced a higher flavonoids accumulation for line 11 than Sclerotinia. Line 13C 100 responses to elicitor action is stronger for Sclerotinia for higher elicitor concentration than for same concentration of Botrytis.