Abstract
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a plant that has been considered for a long time due to its valuable secondary metabolites. This study was conducted to obtain quercetin and glycyrrhizin under controlled conditions and the use of silver nitrate (AgNO3) as an elicitor to increase their production. For this purpose, the seeds were cultured in MS media containing various concentrations of AgNO3 (0, 2, 4, 8 and 10 mg L-1). Quercetin in the aerial parts extract of three-month seedlings prepared with methanol solvent 95% and acetic acid (9:1), and glycyrrhizin in the root extract of four-month seedlings prepared with ethanolic extract (30%) were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using HPLC. The results obtained from three replications showed the presence of quercetin and glycyrrhizin in all samples. The amount of quercetin in all samples treated with AgNO3 was significantly higher than control (P≤0.05) and this increase was higher at concentrations of 8 and 10 mg L-1 in comparison with other concentrations. Glycyrrhizin content increased under the influence of different concentrations of AgNO3 as compared to the control; however, this increase was not significant. Our results clearly showed that this method is a practical method to produce and elicit more these compounds with medicinal value.
Highlights
Plants are the source of a large group of organic compounds called secondary metabolites
high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatograms for quercetin and glycyrrhizin standards
According to the HPLC chromatograms for quercetin standard solutions with different concentrations, maximum absorption was detected approximately 13 minutes after injection (Fig. 1A)
Summary
Plants are the source of a large group of organic compounds called secondary metabolites. The complexity and costly chemical synthesis of the compounds (Smetanska, 2008; Kanwal and Sherazi, 2017) as well as their slow formation has led to an interest in using various methods of biotechnology including seeds, organs, tissues and cells culture for mass and fast production of these compounds under in vitro conditions (Naik and Al-Khayri, 2016) In this regard, manipulation of the medium and the use of elicitors (Tiwari and Rana, 2015) such as AgNO3 with features including ease of access, solubility in water, and stability (Kumar et al, 2009) could be helpful for mass production of these metabolites (Bota and Deliu, 2011; Naik and Al-Khayri, 2016).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
