Acta Pharm. 52 (2002) 299-304

Arachidonic acid as elicitor of flavonoid accumulation in Ononis arvensis L. culture

in vitro

LENKA TUMOVA,^1* KATERINA GALLOVA,¹ JIRI TUMA² and JANA DOLEJSOVA³

tumova@faf.cuni.cz

¹Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University in Prague
²Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, University of Hradec Králové
³Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University in Prague

The effect of arachidonic acid as elicitor on the flavonoid production in the callus and suspension cultures of Ononis arvensis was examined. A statistically significant increase in the production of flavonoids in callus culture was recorded 48 hours after application of arachidonic acid in concentration of 3.28 x 10^-5 nmol L^-1. Flavonoid production was increased 424% against control. Lower flavonoid production was found in Ononis arvensis suspension culture compared to callus cultures. However, after 24-h elicitation with arachidonic acid (3.28 x 10^-1 nmol L^-1), the flavonoid production in suspension culture increased 490% as well.

Keywords: Ononis arvensis L. (Fabaceae), arachidonic acid, elicitor, flavonoids