Informatics Publishing Limited

R. Indira Iyer ¹, G. Jayaraman ¹, A. Ramesh ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Genetics, Dr. A.L.Mudaliar Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras (Taramani Campus), Chennai-600113, IN

Abstract

The in vitro production of phytochemicals by the embryogenic cultures of nutmeg- Myristica fragrans Houtt., a tropical tree of considerable commercial and medicinal value, was investigated. The regeneration potential of the somatic embryos and the morphogenetic responses of foliar explants were also studied. The metabolite profiling of the long term embryogenic cultures established from zygotic embryos in media with activated charcoal, revealed the presence of several monoterpenes and essential oils including α&β-pinene, myristicin, safrole, methyl eugenol and betasitosterol. The essential oil profile varied with the age of the cultures and the 3 week old cultures had a rich variety of monoterpenes. The spent charcoal medium of these embryogenic cultures exhibited strong anti-microbial activity against the pathogens Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. This is considered to be the first report of in vitro production of phytochemicals by the embryogenic mass. The results obtained in this study suggest that both the embryogenic cultures and the spent charcoal medium can act as sources of products of pharmacological interest and provide a basis for further biotechnological investigations of this rare, medicinally important species and for conservation of its germplasm by cryopreservation. Germination of somatic embryos derived from zygotic embryos was achieved in media with NAA. Direct formation of somatic embryos was achieved in leaf explants from juvenile plants in MS media with kinetin, 2,4-D and NAA.

Keywords

Embryogenic, Myristicin, Safrole, Antimicrobial, Tissue Culture, Medicinal Plant

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R. Indira Iyer ¹, G. Jayaraman ¹, A. Ramesh ¹

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Genetics, Dr. A.L.Mudaliar Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras (Taramani Campus), Chennai-600113, IN

Abstract

Direct somatic embryogenesis was obtained from intact and fragmented zygotic embryos of Myristica malabarica, an endemic, threatened medicinal species of Western Ghats of Southern India while cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium containing activated charcoal. In the absence of activated charcoal there was no embryogenic response but only callus formation in zygotic embryos and their fragments. The addition of gibberellic acid resulted in the emergence of shoot from the somatic embryos. The various developmental stages of somatic embryos were examined using scanning electron microscope. Thin layer chromatography revealed the presence of compounds similar to lignans in the embryogenic mass. GC-MS analysis of the embryogenic mass revealed the presence of several compounds of potential clinical value including malabaricone A , α- spinasterol and γ- sitosterol. The spent medium showed strong anti-bacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results are significant since this is the first report of tissue culture and induction of somatic embryogenesis in Myristica malabarica. The embryogenic culture system is potentially useful for efficient and consistent production of bioactive compounds and also has strong implications for conservation of its valuable germplasm.

Keywords

Myristica malabarica, Activated Charcoal, Somatic Embryogenesis, Lignan

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