Improvement of phenolic compounds production in callus cultures of Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum. by elicitation

Cereus hildmannianus (Cactaceae) is a medicinal plant with various medicinal and industrial applications. Plant biotechnology is an attractive approach for specialized metabolite production under controlled conditions, with the elicitation process being considered a highly effective strategy for increasing the production of bioactive compounds. In this regard, the present study investigated the effects of elicitors, sucrose (S, 1–8 g L−1), UV-C light (UV-C, 10–80 min), salicylic acid (SA, 50–200 µmol), and jasmonic acid (JA, 50–200 µmol), on the profile of esterase isozymes, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS), and the dereplication method by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF–MS/MS). The isozyme profile was not significantly changed. The highest accumulations of total phenolics were observed in callus tissues induced with 100 µmol JA (390.8 µg GAE mg−1 DW), 200 µmol SA (355.5 µg GAE mg−1 DW), 20 min UV-C (182.9 µg GAE mg−1 DW), and 6 g L−1 S (122.1 µg GAE mg−1 DW); the highest concentrations of total flavonoids were observed following culture with 200 µmol SA (89.8 µg QE mg−1 DW) and 2 g L−1 S (28.4 µg QE mg−1 DW). Furthermore, the dereplication study allowed putative identification of thirty-six compounds (thirty phenolic acids and organic acids, and six flavonoids). The highest antioxidant activities were obtained with callus tissues induced with 100 µmol JA, 200 µmol SA, 80 min UV-C, and 1 g L−1 S. The elicitors were able to alter the production of phenolic compounds in callus cultures of C. hildmannianus. These results are promising for the clean and sustainable bioproduction of bioactive molecules for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical purposes, prioritizing the conservation of the species.