FEATURES OF ALKALOID ACCUMULATION IN MEDICINAL PLANTS DUE TO GROWING CONDITIONS AND AGE CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

Nowadays biologically active substances in medicinal plants of Kalmykia are poorly studied. Thus biochemical properties of medicinal plants of the arid territories of the North-Western Caspian region have been studied for the first time. Study of intraspecific variability allowed to determine the influence of growing conditions on the accumulation of biologically active substances and microelements in medicinal plants, that grow in Kalmykia. In this regard, as the alkaloid, flavonoid and tannin content has been shown, approaches of application of known medicinal plants and searching for new raw materials should be reconsidered. This work is a part of comprehensive resource investigation focused on the research in the aim to find rational application of plant growing in Caspian and Volga regions. On the natural forage lands of Kalmykia, alkaloid-bearing plants can be found; they are poisonous to animals, and their number and abundance are directly dependent on anthropogenic pressure. Anabasis, harmalа and ephedra, that grow on the Caspian lowland, contain all groups of studied substances: alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and extractives. The conducted research shows that alkaloid plants might be used as medicinal plant raw materials. In Anabasis, the total alkaloid content reaches 1.26% in summer and 1.44% in autumn. Percentage of peganin in Harmala grass, stem and root, is about 4.04%, 0.31% and 0.21% respectively while the total amount of alkaloids in harmala exceeds 5.0%. Tannin content is quite high in Anabasis and harmala, as the presence of tannins is a characteristic feature of ephemera. The composition of plant extractives includes all water-soluble biologically active substances: carbohydrates, vitamins, flavonoids, etc., content of the chemicals is high in both Anabasis and harmal. Accumulation occurs even regardless of the season, place of growth in the whole plant.