Sodium chloride-induced metabolic shifts and morpho-physiological responses in Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. for enhanced bacoside-A production

This study investigated the impact of NaCl concentrations (50-200 mM) on Bacopa monnieri (BM) grown under natural environmental conditions. The results revealed significant enhancements (p < 0.05) in various traits under NaCl exposure. Maximum increase of up to 1.4x (plant height), 2.6x (leaf number), 6.6x (shoot no.), and 2x (root no.) was recorded in morphological parameters at 100 mM. Similarly, maximum chlorophyll content (1.8x), catalase (2.2x), and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) (2.4x) enzyme activities were also recorded at 100 mM NaCl. Furthermore, HPLC analysis showed a substantial increase (similar to 1.5x) in bacoside-A content after treatment with 100 mM. GC-MS analysis revealed stimulation of specific metabolites influencing bacoside production. This study offers a practical approach to enhance biomass and bacoside-A synthesis in BM plants, eliminating the need for costly in vitro methods and benefiting both farmers and pharmaceutical sector. Further investigation at molecular level for mapping changes due to different salt levels in metabolic pathways could also be performed.