Clonal fidelity and phytochemical analysis of in vitro propagated Kaempferia rotunda Linn.—an endangered medicinal plant

• Published in: In vitro cellular & developmental biology. Plant 2023-06, Vol.59 (3), p.329-339
• Main Authors: Sahoo, Suprava, Lenka, Jyotirmayee, Kar, Basudeba, Nayak, Sanghamitra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; antioxidant activity; Antioxidants; Aquatic plants; Benzoic acid; Benzyladenine; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Camphor; Cell Biology; chemical constituents of plants; culture media; Developmental Biology; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered plants; Essential oils; Explants; Free radicals; Gas chromatography; Germplasm; Herbal medicine; indole acetic acid; Indoleacetic acid; Kaempferia; Kaempferia rotunda; Life Sciences; mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medicinal Plants; Micropropagation; Oils & fats; Phytochemicals; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Plantlets; Polymorphism; Propagation; Rhizomes; Scavenging; therapeutics
• ISSN: 1054-5476; 1475-2689
• DOI: 10.1007/s11627-023-10342-8

Kaempferia rotunda Linn. ( Zingiberaceae ) is an important herb that has both therapeutic and cosmetic applications. An efficient protocol has been developed for in vitro propagation of K. rotunda using axillary bud explants from unsprouted rhizomes. Murashige and Skoog medium containing 3.0 mg L −1 6-Benzyladenine (BA) in combination with 1.0 mg L −1 indoleacetic acid (IAA) was found to be optimum for the regeneration, multiplication, and in vitro maintenance of plantlets. Two-yr-old ex vitro grown micropropagated plants were assessed for stable drug-yielding potential through the evaluation of essential oil contents, its phytoconstituents, and antioxidant activity. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GCMS) analysis of essential oil of rhizome showed the presence of benzoic acid (61.34% and 58.27%), bornyl ester (15.11% and 14.66%), zingiberene (5.15% and 5.74%), and camphor (3.72% and 3.82%) in both micropropagated and conventionally grown K. rotunda , respectively. Methanolic extracts and essential oils of the rhizome of both plants possess almost the same antioxidant activity as revealed from DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Micropropagated K. rotunda also proved to be genetically stable as revealed by RAPD and ISSR-based molecular profiling. Thus, this study concluded that micropropagation of Kaempferia rotunda, an endangered medicinal plant, can be recommended for large-scale commercial production of true-to-type plantlets with stable drug-yielding potential.