In vitro cultures of Scutellaria alpina as a source of pharmacologically active metabolites

Abstract

Callus, cell suspension, and shoot cultures as well as in vitro-derived plants of Scutellaria alpina grown under greenhouse (for 3 months) and field conditions (for 2 years) were established, and their flavonoid (baicalin, wogonoside, luteolin) and phenylethanoid glycoside (verbascoside) contents were determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography. The quantities of individual compounds were influenced by the type of analyzed plant material, its age, and day of culture passage. Undifferentiated callus and cell suspension cultures of S. alpina showed higher amounts of metabolites than the proliferating shoot cultures. The highest baicalin (26.25 mg g−1 dry wt) and wogonoside (15.60 mg g−1 dry wt) levels were found in callus cultured for 1.5–2 years on MS agar medium supplemented with NAA (0.1 mg l−1) and TDZ (0.2 mg l−1), which were similar to these yielded by 3-month-old and 2-year-old plant roots of S. alpina. The maximum level of verbascoside (27.21 mg g−1 dry wt) was achieved in cell suspension culture maintained for 1 year in MS liquid medium with NAA (0.1 mg l−1) and TDZ (0.2 mg l−1). The amount was found to be about 3–4-fold higher than in shoots and roots of S. alpina micropropagated plants grown in field condition (7.2–9.7 mg g−1 dry wt). Our results suggest that in vitro cultures of S. alpina represent effective system for the production of the bioactive compounds with different pharmacological activity during long-term subculturing.