In Vitro Tissue Culture, Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Plumbago Scandens L.

ABSTRACT

A protocol was developed for the micropropagation of Plumbago scandens L. from the shoot tip and node explants.The best response of shoot elongation (10.18±2.01 mm) was observed on MS basal medium supplemented with 0.02 mg/L IAA – 0.02 mg/L GA3. The maximum number of root induction (10.0±2.21) and shoot elongation (8.24±3.24 mm) was observed on medium containing 0.01 mg/L IBA and 0.01 mg/L GA3. The in vitro propagated plants were transferred to soil with 80% survival rate. Profuse compact callus was induced and proliferated from several explants (cotyledons, internodes, hypocotyls and roots) cultured on MS medium supplemented with all the combinations of 2,4-D – GA3 or 2,4-D alone and combinations of IAA – BAP or IAA alone, and the highest percentage of friable callus (90%) were induced in the sections of compact callus using 2.0 mg/L IAA – 0.02 mg/L BAP – 0.5 mg/L GA3.The qualitative determination of chemical constituents in the extracts was evaluated by a gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry, and it was verified the presence of plumbagin only in root extracts but not in in vitro plantlets.The antibacterial activity of root extracts against various pathogenic bacteria, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) was determined. Chloroform extracts showed good antibacterial activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae between 0.4 to 1.0 mg/L with 20.4 to 30.0 mm (diameter zone of inhibition); inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus was moderate, and lower against Escherichia coli. Chloroform extracts had the lowest MICs for N. gonorrhoeae (<0.1 mg/mL per disc), and the activities against S. aureus (MIC 0.2 mg/mL) and E. coli (MIC 0.4 mg/mL) were less pronounced.