Augmentation of antioxidative potential of in vitro propagated Mentha piperita L.

131-137Mentha piperita L., as an aromatic culinary herb and a source of variety of phytochemicals including effective antioxidants, is overexploited by food industry. It demands rapid conservation by means of in vitro propagation of improved clones. Here, we have made an attempt to evaluate and augment the antioxidative potential of M. piperita L. by additing a precursor to the tissue culture derived clones and compared it with the in vivo plants so that tissue culture derived plants can serve as an alternative source of drug. M. piperita L. were analyzed for total phenol, flavonoids, total antioxidant activity, free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidase activity. Total phenol content in in vivo plants was lesser than in in vitro. In case of total flavonoid content, it also varies through the season where tissue culture derived plants showed similar and continuous production of total flavonoids content. The percentage inhibition of the in vitro plant extract of precursor fed clone was higher than that of in vivo plant extract. Antioxidant capacity of ascorbic acid was used as a reference standard from which plant extracts with potential antioxidant activity were compared. After addition of precursor, the in vitro mint plant proved more efficient in inhibiting lipid peroxidation after one hour than the in vivo plant, which has high absorbance value indicating lipid peroxide formation

Augmentation of antioxidative potential of in vitro propagated Mentha piperita L

Mentha piperita L., as an aromatic culinary herb and a source of variety of phytochemicals including effective antioxidants, is overexploited by food industry. It demands rapid conservation by means of in vitro propagation of improved clones. Here, we have made an attempt to evaluate and augment the antioxidative potential of M. piperita L. by additing a precursor to the tissue culture derived clones and compared it with the in vivo plants so that tissue culture derived plants can serve as an alternative source of drug. M. piperita L. were analyzed for total phenol, flavonoids, total antioxidant activity, free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidase activity. Total phenol content in in vivo plants was lesser than in in vitro. In case of total flavonoid content, it also varies through the season where tissue culture derived plants showed similar and continuous production of total flavonoids content. The percentage inhibition of the in vitro plant extract of precursor fed clone was higher than that of in vivo plant extract. Antioxidant capacity of ascorbic acid was used as a reference standard from which plant extracts with potential antioxidant activity were compared. After addition of precursor, the in vitro mint plant proved more efficient in inhibiting lipid peroxidation after one hour than the in vivo plant, which has high absorbance value indicating lipid peroxide formation

In vitro clonal propagation, organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis in Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst is a well-known medicinal herb in the Ayurveda. It is also used as laxative and curative for ulcers, inflammation, anaemia, scabies, leucoderma, asthma and epilepsy, enlargement of spleen, leprosy and others. In vitro propagation and regeneration through somatic embryogenesis of B. monnieri has played an important role in the production of healthy, disease-free plants with desirable traits. In B. monnieri, there are few reports which indicate rapid regeneration and somatic embryogenesis. For in vitro clonal propagation, the highest shoot formation was obtained when BAP 2 mg/ l used. The best response for rooting was obtained in IAA 1.0 mg/ l. The recorded survival rate of the plants was 70%. Plants were without any detectable phenotypic variations. Cytological study indicated that the chromosome number remain same (2n= 64) in in vitro and in vivo roots. A rapid, simple and efficient protocol for plantlet regeneration was achieved through embryogenic callus from leaf explants of B. monnieri. Callus induction and embryogenesis were significantly affected by presence/absence and type and concentration of growth regulators. Best organogenic callus induction was obtained in MS medium supplemented with BAP 5mg/ l. For induction of somatic embryogenesis, auxin (2, 4-D 1 mg/ l) was used in the culture medium subsequently in basal media for embryo maturation. Kn 0.2 mg/ l was the best for production of plantlet from embryo. Thus, this can be an easiest protocol for stable clonal propagation and plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis in B. monnieri. The protocol used here for propagation and regeneration is much easier, low cost and reliable

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of garlic (Allium sativum), a storehouse of diverse phytochemicals: A review of research from the last decade focusing on health and nutritional implications

Allium sativum L. (Garlic) is a fragrant herb and tuber-derived spice that is one of the most sought-after botanicals, used as a culinary and ethnomedicine for a variety of diseases around the world. An array of pharmacological attributes such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, anticancer, antimicrobial, and hepatoprotective activities of this species have been established by previous studies. A. sativum houses many sulfur-containing phytochemical compounds such as allicin, diallyl disulfide (DADS), vinyldithiins, ajoenes (E-ajoene, Z-ajoene), diallyl trisulfide (DATS), micronutrient selenium (Se) etc. Organosulfur compounds are correlated with modulations in its antioxidant properties. The garlic compounds have also been recorded as promising immune-boosters or act as potent immunostimulants. A. sativum helps to treat cardiovascular ailments, neoplastic growth, rheumatism, diabetes, intestinal worms, flatulence, colic, dysentery, liver diseases, facial paralysis, tuberculosis, bronchitis, high blood pressure, and several other diseases. The present review aims to comprehensively enumerate the ethnobotanical and pharmacological aspects of A. sativum with notes on its phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, toxicological aspects, and clinical studies from the retrieved literature from the last decade with notes on recent breakthroughs and bottlenecks. Future directions related to garlic research is also discussed.This work was supported by the UHK (Project No. VT2019- 2021), APOGEO (Cooperation Program INTERREG-MAC 2014–2020), with European Funds for Regional Development- FEDER, the “Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI) Gobierno de Canarias” (Project No. ProID2020010134), and Caja Canarias (Project No. 2019SP43).Peer reviewe

Cytokinin and abiotic stress tolerance -What has been accomplished and the way forward?

More than a half-century has passed since it was discovered that phytohormone cytokinin (CK) is essential to drive cytokinesis and proliferation in plant tissue culture. Thereafter, cytokinin has emerged as the primary regulator of the plant cell cycle and numerous developmental processes. Lately, a growing body of evidence suggests that cytokinin has a role in mitigating both abiotic and biotic stress. Cytokinin is essential to defend plants against excessive light exposure and a unique kind of abiotic stress generated by an altered photoperiod. Secondly, cytokinin also exhibits multi-stress resilience under changing environments. Furthermore, cytokinin homeostasis is also affected by several forms of stress. Therefore, the diverse roles of cytokinin in reaction to stress, as well as its interactions with other hormones, are discussed in detail. When it comes to agriculture, understanding the functioning processes of cytokinins under changing environmental conditions can assist in utilizing the phytohormone, to increase productivity. Through this review, we briefly describe the biological role of cytokinin in enhancing the performance of plants growth under abiotic challenges as well as the probable mechanisms underpinning cytokinin-induced stress tolerance. In addition, the article lays forth a strategy for using biotechnological tools to modify genes in the cytokinin pathway to engineer abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The information presented here will assist in better understanding the function of cytokinin in plants and their effective investigation in the cropping system