Phytochemicals accumulation and antioxidant activity in callus and suspension cultures of Cynara scolymus L.

The antioxidative phytochemicals in globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) have received increasing attention for their health-promoting properties related to the high levels of caffeoylquinic acids and flavones in capitula and leaves. Since phytochemicals in plants vary in relation to both biotic and abiotic factors, we explored the possibility to use in vitro-derived materials as a source of antioxidant compounds. Two suspension cultures, an anthocyanin-producing and not-producing cultures, and the sourced callus were evaluated in terms of their total polyphenol (TP) content and qualitative profile, total anthocyanin (TA) content and antioxidant activity (AA). TP and TA content were quantified by spectrophotometric assays, while the polyphenol profile was estimated by HPLC analysis. AA was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Growth kinetics and polyphenol accumulation were investigated for 25 days in red suspension cultures. The latter accumulated a higher TP and TA content (25.7 and 2.61 g kg−1 of DM, respectively) than calluses and green suspension cultures. During cell growth, the TA content in red suspension cultures ranged from 1.43 to 2.41 g kg−1 of DM. Optimum production of polyphenols was achieved on day 25 of culture; a positive correlation existed between TP and both DPPH (r = 0.84) and FRAP (r = 0.85). The 1,5–O-dicaffeoylquinic acid and cyanidin malonylglucoside (21.18 and 1.24 g kg−1 of DM, respectively) were the primary compounds. The results of this investigation indicate that cell suspension of globe artichoke could represent a potential source of bioactive compounds with high antioxidant properties for industrial applications.