Production and antioxidant activity of secondary metabolites in Hassawi rice (Oryza sativa L.) cell suspension under salicylic acid, yeast extract, and pectin elicitation

Plants that produce bioactive chemicals provide a viable in vitro method for producing key nutraceutical substances, especially in the presence of appropriate elicitors. The goal of this study is to use elicitors in Hassawi rice cell suspension culture to enhance production of phenolic compounds. Salicylic acid (SA), yeast extract (YE), and pectin were utilized at 50, 100, and 200 mg L−1. Impacts of elicitors on cell culture were measured in terms of biomass packed cell volume (PCV), dry and fresh weight, total phenolic, total flavonoid, anthocyanin, tannins content, antioxidant activity, and phenolic compounds using ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-mass spec). Except for high doses of pectin (200 mg L−1), the 50, 100, and 200 mg L−1 SA–, YE–, and pectin–treated cell culture produced increased PCV, dry (DW), and fresh weight (FW), and all of the aforementioned contents. The cell suspension supplied with 50 mg L−1 SA demonstrated greatest increases in PCV, FW, DW, all total secondary metabolites, and antioxidant activities as compared to other treatments. The highest concentrations of epigallocatechin and chlorogenic acid were found in cell cultures supplied with 100 mg L−1 SA and 50 mg L−1 pectin. Rutin and quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1–2)-β-D-glucopyranoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside were detected at highest concentrations in cultures supplied with 50, 100 mg L−1 YE and 200 mg L−1 SA, respectively. These findings would facilitate in vitro mass production of nutraceuticals using rice cell cultures to assist commercial agronomic sectors.