Abstract

The leaves of the aromatic plant Balsamita major (costmary) are known for their characteristic minty aroma and their strong antioxidant activity, mainly due to their high polyphenol content. The aim of this study was to develop a micropropagation protocol for costmary and to evaluate the phenolic production and antioxidant properties of the extracts obtained from in vitro cultures. The results indicate that costmary showed high adaptability to in vitro conditions with a high proliferation rate which was maintained for three years. Moreover, the in vitro leaves exhibited a high polyphenolic content, the same as that reported in vivo. The characterization of the leaf extracts showed that the main polyphenolic compounds were chlorogenic and isochlorogenic acid. These in vitro compounds proved to have strong antioxidant properties similar to those previously observed in vivo. Our results underline the commercial potential of in vitro cultures of Balsamita major, which accumulates polyphenols regardless of season, contrarily to field-grown plants. Micropropagation represents a viable “green” tool for producing pesticide/herbicide/pollution-free antioxidant compounds for commercial purposes.

摘要

芳香植物Balsamita major（肋骨）的叶子以其独特的薄荷香气和强大的抗氧化活性而闻名，这主要是由于其多酚含量高。这项研究的目的是开发一种用于肋骨的微繁殖方案，并评估从体外培养物中获得的提取物的酚类生产和抗氧化性能。结果表明，共生显示出对体外条件的高度适应性，并具有高增殖率，可以维持三年。此外，体外叶片显示出高多酚含量，与体内报道的相同。叶提取物的表征表明，主要的多酚化合物是绿原酸和异绿原酸。这些体外化合物被证明具有类似于先前在体内观察到的强抗氧化性能。我们的结果强调了Balsamita major体外培养物的商业潜力，该植物与季节生长的植物相反，无论季节如何，其积累的多酚含量都很高。微量繁殖代表了一种可行的“绿色”工具，可用于生产用于商业目的的农药/除草剂/无污染的抗氧化剂。