In vitro callus induction and isolation of volatile compounds in callus culture of Lallemantia iberica (M. Bieb.) Fisch. & C. A. Mey.

A modern biotechnological technique to obtain useful natural products from plants is to isolate them from their callus cultures. Lallemantia iberica is an annual herb of the Lamiaceae family known for its stimulant, diuretic, and expectorant effects in Iranian folk medicine. The present study investigated the induction of plant callus tissue and identification of its volatile compounds. For this purpose, plant seeds of Lallemantia iberica were sterilized and cultured in petri dishes lined with an MS medium. After the emergence of seedlings, cotyledon segments were transferred to another MS medium supplemented with different combinations of the plant hormones BAP and 2,4-D. The petri dishes were incubated in a growth chamber at 25 °C for a given photoperiod. The fresh weights of the calli thus produced in the hormonal treatments were measured. In a second stage of the study, the essential oil of the fresh calli was obtained using a Clevenger type apparatus and subjected to analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that callus induction from the cotyledon segments of the seedlings was better accomplished in the MS medium containing phytohormones and in a dose-dependent manner. Maximum callus production was induced in the MS medium supplemented with 2, 4-D (4 mg/L) and BAP (1.5 mg/L) as 3.5g. GC/MS analysis showed that the dominant compounds in the essential oil were Thymol (53.03%), Octane (19.90%), Decane (5.73% ), Carvacrol (5.63%), and Octadecane (3.73%). Keywords: Lallemantia iberica, Callus induction, Volatile compounds, Thymol.