Jasmonic acid and nanoparticle elicitation of L. cardinalis – differentiating elicitor contributions in nanoparticle delivery strategies

Authors

• Rachel P. Sutherland, University of KentuckyFollow
• McKenna F. Clinch, University of Kentucky
• Kristen Bruce, Naprogenix Inc.
• D. Trent Rogers, Naprogenix Inc.
• John Littleton, University of KentuckyFollow
• Bert Lynn, University of KentuckyFollow
• Stephen Rankin, University of KentuckyFollow
• Barbara L. Knutson, University of KentuckyFollow

Abstract

Elicitation is an important strategy for producing plant secondary metabolites, which are responsible for a plant's highly dynamic chemical defense against environmental stressors such as UV light, predators, and pathogens. Elicitation strategies have recently employed nanoparticles as carriers to effectively deliver the elicitation agent through the cell membrane. This study examines the elicitation of secondary metabolites in Lobelia cardinalis hairy root cultures (HRCs) in response to the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and a JA-loaded nanoparticle carrier (mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs)). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) with high resolution mass spectrometry identified 12 m/z features only upregulated in the treatments with JA (free JA, JA-loaded MSNPs, and physical mixtures of JA and MSNPs) relative to a control experiment (without JA) or exposure to MSNPs alone. Putative identifications for these compounds elicited by JA included sesquiterpenoids (rishitin), monolignols (elemicin), and coumarins (7-hydroxycoumarin derivatives), respectively, and roughly correlated with the levels of JA that was measured in the respective HRCs. Signature m/z analytes associated with exposure to MNSPs were identified across treatment of bare MNSPs, JA-loaded MSNPs, and physical mixtures of JA and MSNPs and are consistent with a general stress response. The study demonstrates the ability to differentiate the elicitation effects of a biotic elicitor and its delivery system in untargeted elicitation studies, with a goal of designing nanocarrier systems for effective production of secondary metabolites.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Notes/Citation Information

Publisher Copyright: This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1039/d6ra03646e

Archival?

Archival

Repository Citation

Sutherland, Rachel P.; Clinch, McKenna F.; Bruce, Kristen; Rogers, D. Trent; Littleton, John; Lynn, Bert; Rankin, Stephen; and Knutson, Barbara L., "Jasmonic acid and nanoparticle elicitation of L. cardinalis – differentiating elicitor contributions in nanoparticle delivery strategies" (2026). Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications. 140.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cme_facpub/140