Elicitation of gentiopicroside in Gentiana kurroo Royle shoot cultures with endophytic fungus

Gentiopicroside (GPD) is a major secoiridoid glucoside in the herbs of the Gentianaceae family, predominantly in the genus Gentiana. Gentiana kurroo Royle, a native of the Indian Himalayas is rich in GPD in the roots and shoots. It is used extensively for treating various diseases in Ayurvedic medicine. This herb grows above 1600–3500 Masl and is endemic to the Himalayan region and extensively harvested from wild sources for its immense medicinal properties. In this study, in vitro shoot cultures of G. kurroo were stimulated with Trichoderma viride, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and an endophytic fungal cell wall extract for enhanced production of GPD. The results showed that treatment with the endophytic fungal extract produced a much higher concentration of GPD (30.4 mg/g DW) after 48 hrs of treatment compared with other treatments. The endophytic fungus was identified as Parengyodontium album. This study provides a simple and efficient method for in vitro elicitation of GPD.