Establishment of Callus Cultures of Echinacea purpurea and investigating the Impact of Melatonin on its Secondary Metabolism

One of the Asteraceae family's most significant therapeutic herbs is Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench. The plant is extremely rich in anti inflammatory and antioxidant chemicals, that can be produced effectively and sustainably by in vitro cultures, which are often enhanced by the inclusion of an elicitor in the culture media. In the present investigation, TDZ was effectively utilized to induce E. purpurea callus cultures. Additionally, different melatonin dosages were evaluated for their impact on biomass accumulation, antioxidant capability, and secondary metabolite synthesis. In callus treated with 25μM melatonin, the highest biomass accumulation, total phenolic output, and total flavonoid production were noted. At the same moderate concentration, the best DPPH radical scavenging activity and overall antioxidant capacity were also observed. A positive association was reflected between biomass and these factors. Notable inhibitory effects were seen against pancreatic lipase, alpha-glucosidase, and alpha-amylase after administration with exogenous melatonin, respectively, during the investigation of the potential of callus cultures. These results emphasized the need to look into the existing strategy in more detail in order to identify novel approaches to treating diabetes and obesity. In HPLC analysis, maximum amounts of metabolites resulted at concentrations of 25–50 μM, except amino acids that were associated with the lowest melatonin concentration. Our research showed that TDZ can be used for efficient callus induction of E. purpurea, and elicitation with melatonin may be a useful tactic for boosting biomass, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity as well as numerous enzyme inhibitory effects.