Assessing factors that affect the growth of Corylus avellana cell suspension cultures: a statistical approach

The detection of taxol and related taxanes in Corylus avellana has generated considerable interest, particularly for in vitro cell cultures. Cell suspensions are a sustainable and rational option for obtaining a continuous and reliable source of secondary metabolites in large-scale processes. We therefore focused our study on the main factors that affect the growth of C. avellana cell suspensions as a key approach to improving culture productivity. In this work, calli were successfully induced from C. avellana seeds, leaves, and stems, and the efficiency of different sterilization methods was analyzed. The effects of the basal medium, carbon source, and the type and quantity of plant growth regulators on culture growth were studied. A fractional factorial design allowed us to reduce the number of experiments and analyze all the combinations in one run, thereby reducing time, variability, and costs. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) revealed that 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and sucrose are mandatory for the growth of C. avellana cell suspension cultures, with no interactions detected between the parameters analyzed, while growth did not depend on the addition of cytokinins. The secondary metabolism was not inhibited, detecting 1175.45 ng/L of baccatin III and traces of taxol, deacetyltaxol, and cephalomannine. Additionally, prompted by the high growth rate of the C. avellana calli, we assayed a new cold-temperature-based method to maintain a stock of calli using half-strength Murashige and Skoog solid medium, concluding that up to 5 mo at 4A degrees C is optimal to ensure white friable calli upon regrowth at 25A degrees C.