Muhammad Asad UllahFaiza Zareen GulTaimoor KhanMuhammad Naeem BajwaSamantha DrouetDuangjai TungmunnithumNathalie Giglioli-Guivarc’hChunzhao LiuChristophe HanoBilal Haider AbbasiBiomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales (BBV)University of NizwaQuaid-i-Azam UniversityThe University of QueenslandQingdao UniversityUniversite d'OrleansMahidol UniversityCNRS GDR37112022-08-042022-08-042021-12-01AMB Express. Vol.11, No.1 (2021)219108552-s2.0-85117590009https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/75912Ajuga integrifolia Buch. Ham. ex D.Don, a member of Lamiaceae family is pharmaceutically an active perennial herb widely spread in China, Afghanistan and Pakistan Himalayan region. The application of biotic elicitors is a promising approach to cover limitations of in vitro cell technology and challenges faced by pharmaceuticals industry for bulk up production. The current study involved the induction of agitated micro-shoot cultures with the aim to investigate the growth-promoting as well as phytochemicals enhancement role of yeast extract (YE) and pectin (PE). The results showed that both elicitors induced a considerable physiological response. Biomass accumulation was observed maximum (DW: 18.3 g/L) against PE (10 mg/L) compared to YE and control. Eleven secondary phytocompounds were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. PE (50 mg/L) was found to be effective in elicitation of rosmarinic acid (680.20 µg/g), chlorogenic acid (294.12 µg/g), apigenin (579.61 µg/g) and quercetin (596.89 µg/g). However, maximum caffeic acid (359.52 µg/g) and luteolin (546.12 µg/g accumulation was noted in PE (1 mg/L) treatment. Harpagide, aucubin, harpagoside and 8-O-acetyl-harpagoside production was suppressed by both elicitors except for YE (100 mg/L). Catalpol accumulation in micro-shoot cultures was also downregulated except in response to YE (50 and 100 mg/L). Antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory activity remained higher under PE (50 mg/L) and YE (100 mg/L) respectively. Therefore, results suggested that Ajuga integrifolia micro-shoot cultures treated with yeast extract and pectin might be an efficient bio-factory to produce commercially potent specific secondary metabolites.Mahidol UniversityBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyImmunology and MicrobiologyArticleSCOPUS10.1186/s13568-021-01297-3