Abstract
Matricaria recutita is a widely used medicinal plant with broad pharmacological effects, and α-bisabolol is the main active ingredient of this plant. To improve its α-bisabolol content, M. recutita was sprayed with different concentrations (1.0, 2.0,and 4.0 mmol.L−1) of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or with water as a control to study the effects of ALA treatment on the photosynthesis, antioxidant system, and α-bisabolol content of M. recutita. Results showed that the photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, soluble protein, total amino acids, soluble sugar, and α-bisabolol of M. recutita were significantly increased. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase of M. recutita were also enhanced by ALA treatment. Optimal results were obtained when the concentration of ALA was 2.0 mmol.L−1. Results showed that ALA treatment could improve the α-bisabolol content of M. recutita, and the underlying physiological mechanism was analyzed. ALA treatment was an effective measure for improving the medicinal value of M. recutita.
Highlights
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) is an annual or perennial herb of Chrysanthemum, which is native to Europe (Farhoudi et al, 2013).The whole plant of M. recutita is aromatic and rich in essential oil, and this plant exhibits various effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, spasm relief, and analgesic (Srivastava et al, 2010)
Effects of Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) treatments on growth Compared with the control group, ALA treatments at 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mmol.L-1 resulted in corresponding 23.0%, 27.0% and 23.3% improvement in the dry weight of aboveground, underground, and the total dry weight of M. recutita (Fig. 1)
1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mmol.L-1 concentrations of ALA could increase the photosynthetic parameters (Pn, transpiration rate (Tr), Ci, and Gs) of M. recutita leaves to different extents (Table 1)
Summary
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) is an annual or perennial herb of Chrysanthemum, which is native to Europe (Farhoudi et al, 2013).The whole plant of M. recutita is aromatic and rich in essential oil, and this plant exhibits various effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, spasm relief, and analgesic (Srivastava et al, 2010). This medicinal plant is remarkably developed and has high utilization value. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a non-protein amino acid widely found in the living cells of bacteria, fungi, animals, and plants (Xu et al, 2015). ALA is a key precursor of many tetrapyrrols, such as including porphyrins for chlorophyll and haeme biosynthesis (Naeem et al, 2011)
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