Root alkylamide profile comparison between Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench plants grown in different in vitro conditions

Abstract

Introduction: Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is a traditional medicinal plant used by North American Indians. It can be used as an immunostimulant for the common cold and various infectious diseases [1]. E. purpurea is one of the most cultivated, best-selling herbs in the world [2]. It is necessary to look for a new viable cultivation method in order to increase growth productivity of these medicinal herbs. Consequently, is important to investigate the composition of the phytochemical compounds that determine the pharmacological properties of herbal material grown in an innovative environment. The aim of experiment is to compare alkylamide profile in E. purpurea (L.) Moench plant roots grown on different agar media composition. Materials and methods: 1. E. purpurea (L.) Moench seeds were sterilized and germinated in Petri dishes on two different medias: Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with sucrose, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0,2ml/l), α-naphtalene acetetic acid, gelrite and MS with sucrose and, gelrite. After month, plants were transferred on two medias,with and without growth regulators: MS+BAP, and MS. Photoperiod in growth chamber at 24℃ ±2℃ was 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness. 2. Separation of alkylamides in Echinacea samples was carried according to modified method of Žvkas et all, 2016. Positive electrospray ionization was applied for analysis with the following settings: capillary voltage – 3.5 kV, source temperature –150°C, desolvation temperature –400°C, desolvation gas flow – 700 l/h, cone gas flow – 20 l/h. Mass spectra was recorded in range from 50 to 1000 m/z Results: 1. Plants grown on media with growth regulators had more leaves and fewer roots than plants grown on media without growth regulators. 2. Alkylamide profile in tested samples was identical, except one isoform of alkylamide compounds, which was expressed more extensively in MS+ BAP media grown plant root samples. Conclusions: 1. Different comp