Abstract
Psychotria ipecacuanha, is a plant species with known medicinal properties that is critically endangered due to overexploitation of natural populations. Although the difficulties in conventional propagation by seed and by vegetative propagation are generally understood, the present study enhances our knowledge by describing efficient plant regeneration and root induction protocols for P. ipecacuanha while comparing alkaloid content (emetine and cephaeline) in in vitro-derived tissues. Stem node explants were cultured on MS medium MS supplemented with indolbutiric acid (IBA) in semi-solid media and the RITA® temporary immersion bioreactor. The highest root formation (81%) was in MS + 1.5 mg L−1 IBA in the bioreactor. After 24 months of acclimatization, the plants cultivated in MS + 0.50 and 1.0 mg L-1 of IBA had the highest number of roots (3), with mean values of 10.47 and 9.40 cm, respectively. The cultures coming from 1.0 mg L−1 and 0.5 mg L−1 IBA in the bioreactor contained higher cephaeline content, with a relative area of 14.2 and 14.9%, respectively. For emetine, the 1.0 mg L−1 IBA cultures in the bioreactor, 0.5 mg L−1 IBA and MS0 cultures contained higher content than the other treatments, with a relative area of 10.2, 10.2 and 10.1%, respectively.
Highlights
IntroductionStokes (Rubiaceae), commonly known as ipeca or poaia, is recognized worldwide as one of the most important medicinal plant species in the pharmaceutical industry due to the presence of bioactive alkaloids in the roots, primarily emetine, cephaeline and psychotrine[1,2]
In vitro cultures acquired from the germplasm bank of the Embrapa Amazônia Oriental were used to obtain the plant material for the establishment of micropropagation and root culturing protocols of Psychotria ipecacuanha, which were used as donors of explants for the tests with different concentrations of the growth regulator Indolbutiric Acid (IBA)[24,25]
The addition of 1.5 mg L-1 indolbutiric acid (IBA) to bioreactor MS medium resulted in 81% rooting of the explants with an average yield of 3.41 roots of 0.6 cm at 60 days after transfer to MS0
Summary
Stokes (Rubiaceae), commonly known as ipeca or poaia, is recognized worldwide as one of the most important medicinal plant species in the pharmaceutical industry due to the presence of bioactive alkaloids in the roots, primarily emetine, cephaeline and psychotrine[1,2]. Alkaloids have emetic action in bronchial diseases (e.g., anti-inflammatory properties) and can combat both fever and. The root extract of this species is used and recognized in the Pharmacopoeia as an amebicide and expectorant[5,6,7,8]. Several substances are found in poaia roots: starch, reducing sugars, resins, tannins, malic acid, citric, ipecacuanic, and the alkaloids that justify the plant therapeutic properties: emetine, cephaeline, psychotrine, emetamine o-methyl psicotrin, and proto-emetim. The alkaloids correspond to 2 to 3% of the root dry weight and are mainly located in the cortical parenchyma (2.5%) and in small quantities in the woody zone [9]
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