In vitro cultures of Bacopa monnieri and an analysis of selected groups of biologically active metabolites in their biomass

Context: Bacopa monnieri L. Pennell (Scrophulariaceae) is one of the most important plants in the system of Indian medicine (Ayurveda).Objective: This paper studies the optimal growth of B. monnieri for effective accumulation of metabolites. Biomass growth of this plant could be accomplished in liquid cultures on Murashige & Skoog medium.Materials and methods: Powdered shoots of in vitro cultures of B. monnieri were extracted by methanol for indole compounds, phenolic compounds and bacosides for RP-HPLC analysis. Fatty acid analysis was performed via gas chromatography. Anti-inflammatory effect of B. monnieri extracts was evaluated in the A549 cells. COX-2 and cPGES expression was analyzed using Western blots.Results: l-Tryptophan and serotonin were found in biomass from in vitro cultures of B. monnieri on MS medium and in biomass from the MS mediums enriched with the different additions such as of 0.1g/L magnesium sulphate, 0.1g/L zinc hydroaspartate, 0.1g/L l-tryptophan, 0.25g/L serine, 0.5g/L serine and 0.5mg/L anthranilic acid. The content of l-tryptophan and serotonin compounds was significant in biomass from medium with the addition of 0.1g/L zinc hydroaspartate (0.72mg/g dry weight and 1.19, respectively). Phenolic compounds identified in biomass from the same variants of MS medium were chlorogenic acid (ranging from 0.20 to 0.70mg/g dry weight), neochlorogenic acid (ranging from 0.11 to 0.40mg/g dry weight) and caffeic acid (ranging from 0.01 to 0.04mg/g dry weight). The main group of fatty acids in biomass was saturated fatty acids (53.4%). The predominant fatty acid was palmitic acid. A significant decrease of COX-2 and cPGES expression was observed in the A549 cells activated with LPS and treated with B. monnieri extracts.Discussion and conclusions: As far as we know, this is the first analysis of indole compounds and phenolic acids in this plant. The multi-therapeutic effect of B. monnieri is expressed by the activity of bacosides. Information about the presence of indole and phenolic compounds, and fatty acids in this plant is limited, but the content of these compounds might participate in the physiological activity of B. monnieri.