ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of intracellular and extracellular Ca2+ on the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid (RA) induced by salicylic acid in young seedlings of Salvia miltiorrhiza.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Young seedlings of S. miltiorrhiza were used to select an optimal concentration of salicylic acid (SA), and then use the optimal concentration of SA to investigate the effects of extracellular Ca2+ channel inhibitors Verapamil, LaCl3, intracelluar calmodulin antagonist TFP and intracelluar Ca2+ channel inhibitors LiCl on the biosynthesis of RA and related enzymes.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>SA increased the accumulation of RA and the activities of PAL and TAT, especially the SA of 2 mmol x L(-1) after 24 h. SA improved the accumulation of RA to (40.51 +/- 2.16) mg x g(-1), which was 1.97 times than that of control, and the activities of PAL, TAT were 1.42 times and 1.29 times than those of the control. However, Vp, LaCl3, TFP, LiCl inhibited the effects of SA evidently.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ca2+ plays a key role in the regulation of the induction process.</p>