Changes in Photosynthetic Pigments, Total Phenolic Content, and Antioxidant Activity of Salvia coccinea Buc'hoz Ex Etl. Induced by Exogenous Salicylic Acid and Soil Salinity.

Monika Grzeszczuk,Edward Meller,Piotr Salachna

doi:10.3390/molecules23061296

Abstract

Salvia coccinea (Lamiaceae) is a promising source of potential antioxidants, and its extracts can be used in pharmaceutical industry, as well as in food products and cosmetics. Salicylic acid (SA) affects many physiological and metabolic processes in vascular plants under salinity stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of S. coccinea to either SA, or sodium chloride (NaCl), or a combination of both. The plants were sprayed with a solution of 0.5 or 1.0 mM SA and watered with 0, 100, 200, or 300 mM NaCl. Exogenous application of SA increased the number of branches, fresh herbal weight, and total chlorophyll content vs control plants. Salinity-exposed plants showed reduced growth, content of photosynthetic pigments total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity. However, foliar application of SA relieved the adverse effects of 100 mM NaCl, as demonstrated by increased number of branches, greater fresh herbal weight, higher content of total chlorophyll, total carotenoids, and total polyphenols, as well as antioxidant potential, detected using ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and 2.2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), compared with untreated plants.

Highlights

Salvia genus belongs to Lamiaceae family and includes approximately 900 species widely distributed throughout the world [1,2]
Salt stress at 300 mM NaCl negatively affected the number of branches and fresh weight of the aboveground parts of a plant determined at the beginning of flowering
Salt stress at 300 mM NaCl negatively affected the number of branches and fresh weight 2018, of the parts of a plant determined at the beginning of flowering

Summary

Introduction

Salvia genus belongs to Lamiaceae family and includes approximately 900 species widely distributed throughout the world [1,2]. Carnosol and carnosic acid (phenolic diterpenes), rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and chlorogenic acid (hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives), salvianolic acid (dimer of rosmarinic acid), and some essential oil compounds (camphor, 1, 8-cineole, α-thujone, β-thujone) and flavonoids (flavones of apigenin and luteolin, and their hydroxylated derivates) were identified as the major antioxidants present in sage [4,7,9]. These antioxidants help in maintaining health, and protect against atherosclerosis, stroke, Molecules 2018, 23, 1296; doi:10.3390/molecules23061296 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules

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