Specific Features of Changes in the Content of Basic Flavones in Scutellaria Przewalskii Juz. Hairy Root Culture under the Action of Hydrogen Peroxide

Representatives of the genus Scutellaria are perennial plants, which root extracts are widely used in oriental medicine, as they have a wide range of pharmacological effects on living organisms due to the presence of five flavones: chrysin, glucuronides – baicalein, wogonoside, and their aglycones – baicalein and wogonin. Scutellaria przewalskii Juz. is a poorly studied species of the Scutellaria family, a Tien Shan endemic. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced under conditions of both biotic and abiotic stresses, which cause damage to cell structures. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of ROS on the content of flavones, which may help uncover their role in protecting the root from damage. We used hairy roots of Scutellaria przewalskii. Hydrogen peroxide of two concentrations ۱ and ۱۰ mM was used as an inducer of oxidative stress. The highest flavones content was observed on the ۱st and the ۷th day of cultivation at ۱۰ mM concentration of hydrogen peroxide. It was equal to ۴۹.۳ and ۵۰.۸ mg/g of dry weight respectively which was ۱.۹-۳.۰ times higher than the control sample. The change was caused by an increase in the content of glucuronides, primarily baicalin, suggesting its essential role in root adaptation to oxidative stress.

Keywords:

reactive oxygen species , skullcaps , glucuronides , Baicalin