Farm or lab? Chamazulene content of Artemisia arborescens (Vill.) L. essential oil and callus volatile metabolites isolate

Abstract

Plant micropropagation has been proposed as a promising solution for the improvement of medicinal plants and the commercial production of phytochemicals. Tree Wormwood (Artemisia arborescens, Asteraceae) has been identified as a promising source for chamazulene production, a phytochemical compound with anti-inflammatory activity. However, the concurrent presence of β-thujone, an acute toxic agent is a significant limitation of Tree Wormwood utilization in essential oil (EO) production. Present study is aiming to develop in vitro cultivation protocols of tree wormwood and study the effects of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and culture conditions on the callus production of volatile metabolites (VM) and its equilibrium of chamazulene and β-thujone. Three treatments all containing the auxin 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and each one respectively the cytokines Kinetin (K), 16-Benzylaminopurine (BN), and Thidiazuron (TD) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media, were applied under constant dark (D), while K and BN were also grown under light (L). Both EO and VMs, retrieved from the naturally and laboratory grown biomass were analyzed by a Gas Chromatographer-Mass Spectrometer (GC–MS) coupled with Gas Chromatographer-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The biotechnologically produced EOs presented a significantly increased yield per area and time, while callogenesis PGRs combinations and culture conditions exhibited promising results on the induction of chamazulene biosynthesis.