Nitric Oxide-Scavenging Activity of in vitro Cultured Balkan Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

A. MEHANDZHIYSKI1, D. BATOVSKA1, D. DIMITROV2, L. EVSTATIEVA3 and K. DANOVA1
1 Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, BAS, BG – 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
2 Botany Department, National Museum of Natural History, BAS, BG – 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
3 Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, BAS, BG – 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria

Abstract

MEHANDZHIYSKI, A., D. BATOVSKA, D. DIMITROV, L. EVSTATIEVA and K. DANOVA, 2013. Nitric oxide-scavenging activity of in vitro cultured Balkan medicinal and aromatic plants. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., Supplement 2, 19: 31–34

 

Methanolic extracts from the aerial and root parts of in vitro cultured Artemisia alba and the aerials of in vitro cultured Clinopodium vulgare, Hypericum tetrapterum, H. richeri  and the endemic H. rumeliacum  were evaluated for their nitric oxide scavenging capacities. Extracts of H. rumeliacum, H. richeri and H. tetrapterum exhibited remarkably higher activity (0.18, 0.17 and 0.97 mg.ml–1, respectively) compared to C. vulgare and A. alba (SC50 = 3.45, 2.93 and 2.62 mg.ml–1, respectively). Vitamin C (a reference compound), exhibited activity of 0.26 mg.ml–1. The presented results are indicative of the high therapeutic potential of the extracts derived from the in vitro cultured plants and are a good basis for further more detailed research.

Key words: In vitro culture, medicinal and aromatic plants, Artemisia, Hypericum, Clinopodium, NO-scavenging activity
Abbreviations: NO• – nitric oxide, SC – radical scavenging activity, HgCl2 – mercuric chloride, BA – benzyladenine, MS – Murashige and Skoog, G5 – Gamborg, DW – dry weight, PGR – plant growth regulators, IBA – indole-3-butyric acid, TDZ – thidiazuron, Kin – kinetin, 2iP – 6-(α,α-dimethylallylamino)-purine

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