Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Hypericum perforatum is a valuable medicinal herb possessing anti-depressant, anti-microbial, anti-viral and cytotoxic properties. Hypericin being one of the major compounds of this plant is used as a sensitizer in the photodynamic cancer therapy. In the current study, rapid method for micropropagation and in vitro production of hypericin was developed using shoot apices of H. perforatum. An average of 36.3 number of shoots were induced from single explants within 5-6 days of culturing on MS medium supplemented with KN (3 mg/L)+sucrose 3% (w/v)+agar-agar 0.9% (w/v). Highest hypericin content of 0.119 �¼g per mg was observed in shoots grown on MS medium containing sucrose (3%), IBA (3 mg/l), KN (1 mg/l) and agar (0.9%) at 25�±2o C under light conditions with incubation for two months in an optimized culture room conditions. This study indicated that in vitro cultured H. perforatum shoots possess biosynthetic potential for hypericin production which can be further exploited for its up scaling under controlled growth conditions.

Biography

Hemant Sood has completed her PhD in 2009 from Jaypee University of Information Technology with specialization in Medicinal Plant Biotechnology. She has published in several national and international journals including 4 patents filed in India. She is recipient of a National Young Scientist Award of Indian Science Congress Association for the year 2011. Her research program is aimed at developing cell culture technologies in high value medicinal herbs. She is funded by the DBT, DST and NMPB, Government of India.

Email: hemant.sood@juit.ac.in