Comparative investigation of sesquiterpene components of essential oils originating from intact plants and hairy root chamomile cultures

The importance of chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) inflorescence is widely known in classical and folk medicine, with the largest group its effective constituents forming essential oil (chamazulene, a-bisabolol, α-farnesene, trans-β-farnesene, spathulenol, cis/trans-en-in-dicycloethers). Among cultivated species, Hungarian BK-2 contains more chamazulene than German Degumil type, which mainly for a-bisabolol. Both components have important antiinflammatory activities. Wild populations can be easily distinguished from ones by their high amount bisaboloides, particularly flower Szabadkígyós wild contained on average 48 % biologically active (-)-a-bisabolol. population has good salt tolerance owing to global warming, because proportion saline areas increasing worldwide. To keep genome having (-)-a-bisabolol content, Szőke research team used biotechnological methods. Sterile plantlets, were infected Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains #A-4, #15834, #R-1601. hairy root clones possessing best growing biosynthetical potential multiplied phytochemical investigations. Pharmacologically compounds oils followed great detail. vitro cultured terpenoids polyin was compared that vivo plants. GC-MS studies showed sterile cultures generated most terpenoid characteristics mother plant. Berkheyaradulene, geranyl-isovalerat cedrol as new identified these cultures. main component (D/400, D/1, D/100 Sz/400) tr-b-farnesene addition one compound: a-selinene identified. Hairy culture originated collected intensive increased content pharmacological compounds: (-) -α-bisabolol β-eudesmol also synthetized large quantity. Furthermore, organized made this obtain propagation material containing numerous substances.