Establishing a simple selection method of high hypericin-producing adventitious root lines from leaf explants of Hypericum perforatum var. Topaz

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hundreds of adventitious root lines from Hypericum perforatum L. were examined for their hypericin content in order to establish a system for studying the production of hypericin in adventitious root lines. The effects of the medium consistency (solid and liquid) and the effects of three different auxins (Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA)) on the induction of adventitious roots in leaf explants were studied. In a half-strength MS liquid medium with 2 mg/L IBA concentration, adventitious roots developed from H. perforatum leaves, whereas NAA and IAA caused callus-like and low branch roots. HPLC-UV was used to profile hypericin content variations in 100 H. perforatum adventitious root lines. Hierarchical component analysis (HCA) was used for selecting elite lines. After cluster analysis and selecting high-performance lines in terms of hypericin, five elite lines were chosen and the amount of hypericin production, as well as the phenol and flavonoid content, was analysed.