Chemoprofiling of in vitro cell cultures of Tinospora cordifolia for protoberberine alkaloid content analysis and to understand their therapeutic potential against Staphylococcus aureus

Tinospora cordifolia is an essential part of ethnomedicine, which aids in enhanced immunity and rejuvenates body in combating diseases. Therapeutic potential is attributed to individual or cumulative effects of bioactive metabolites. To provide sustainable source of bioactive metabolites, without affecting plants natural habitat, plant cell cultures are the most suitable alternative source. Current study elucidates the induction and proliferation of in vitro callus cultures from leaf-disc explants of T. cordifolia on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 3 µM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 10 µM 1-naphthalene-acetic-acid (NAA). The cell biomass growth followed the Gompertz kinetic model, predicting maximum fresh and dry weight yields on days 14.46 and 11.71, respectively. Extract was prepared from dried callus biomass using acid-base methodology. Therapeutic protoberberine alkaloids, (jatrorrhizine and palmatine) were identified, purified, and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In these callus extracts, 10-fold increase in jatrorrhizine content (435.87 mg g −1 DW) and 143-fold increase in palmatine content (567.45 mg g −1 DW) were recorded as compared to 40.12 mg g −1 DW jatrorrhizine and 3.96 mg g −1 DW palmatine present in leaves of field-grown mother plant. Further, confirmation of alkaloids was done using mass spectrometry. These purified alkaloids, jatrorrhizine, and palmatine favored a reduction in the biofilm-forming capability of Staphylococcus aureus by 78.32 % and 87.01 %, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis of treated sample showed membrane distortion, pore formation, and cytoplasmic leakage in S. aureus . The findings aim for sustainable production of protoberberine alkaloids from in vitro plant cell cultures for therapeutic uses. • An extensive study on augmented production of protoberberine alkaloids from in vitro cell biomass of T. cordifolia • Report is a novel approach on chemical profiling, and kinetic modeling of callus biomass growth dynamics by Gompertz equation • Kinetic parameters giving theoretical basis for scaling-up cell biomass of Tinospora cordifolia for protoberberine production • Acid-base extraction yielded 10x higher jatrorrhizine and 143x higher palmatine production in cell biomass than leaf tissues • Jatrorrhizine and palmatine demonstrate strong biofilm inhibition against S. aureus, display membrane damage in FESEM study