Biochemistry & Pharmacology: Open Access
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0501
+44-20-4587-4809
ISSN: 2167-0501
+44-20-4587-4809
Hera Chaudhry, Nida Fatima and Iffat Zareen Ahmad
Accepted Abstracts: Biochem & Pharmacol
Nigella sativa is an extensively studied plant for its medicinal properties which are attributed because of the active constituents like thymoquinone, thymol, p-cymene, pinene, dithymoquinone etc. Present study deals enhanced production of thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) a natural monoterpene phenol in the suspension culture of the Nigella sativa cultured in Erlenmeyer flasks (250 ml) placed in an incubator shaker at 110 rpm and at 25�1�C with a 16 hr photoperiod each containing 100 ml of Murashige & Skoog medium. Friable, soft and white calli of epicotyl region of the in vitro grown seedlings were used for the initiation of suspension cultures. Different combinations and concentrations of the growth hormones were tried to elucidate their effect on the thymol production. Presence of thymol was detected by employing one dimensional thin layer chromatography with toluene:chloroform:etanol (40:10:10) as mobile phase and keeping thymol as standard. Results showed the culture supplemented with KN (2 ppm) +NAA (1 ppm) gave a large pink spot with Rf value of 0.74 as compared to the standard and negative control which gave a small pink spot with Rf value 0.75 and diminished spot with Rf value 0.70 respectively. Therefore, this study can be efficiently used to specifically produce and enhance the production medicinally important compound thymol by employing plant tissue culture techniques.