Ekrem Gurel

In vitro culture of common mullein (Verbascum thapsus L.)

SummaryVerbascum thapsus L. is a medicinal herb and has been used to treat inflammatory disease, asthma, spasmodic coughs and migraine headaches. Studies were initiated to establish an in vitro culture protocol for V. thapsus. Explants (leaf dises, petioles and roots) were cultured on Murashing and Skoog minimal organics (MSMO) medium with benzyladenine (BA) or kinetin. Best shoot proliferation was obtained from leaf dise and petiole explants at 13.32 μM BA. Leaf dises were cultured on MSMO medium with 13.32 μM BA in combination with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or 2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). More shoot development was obtained with 13.32 μM BA and 5.37 μM NAA. Shoots were transferred to rooting media containing different levels of NAA and 2,4-D. Most of the shoots formed roots on media with 5.37 μM NAA. Plants were transferred to vermiculite and subsequently to potting media and maintained in the greenhouse.

Influence of nutrient media on callus induction, somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in selected Turkish crocus species

Highlights • Crocus is a medicinally important plant and it is costliest spice of the world.• An efficient microprapogation protocol of five Turkish Crocus species was developed.• Crocus species: C. specious ssp. Specious, C. oliveri spp. Oliveri, C. pestalozzae, C. abantensis, and C. paschei..• Different combinations and concentrations of auxins and cytokinins were used.• Plant regeneration was developed via somatic embryogenesis.

Calcium and magnesium elimination enhances accumulation of cardenolides in callus cultures of endemic Digitalis species of Turkey

Elimination of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) or both from the medium of callus cultures of Digitalis davisiana Heywood, Digitalis lamarckii Ivanina, Digitalis trojana Ivanina and Digitalis cariensis Boiss. ex Jaub. et Spach increased cardenolides production. Callus was induced from hypocotyl segments from one-month old seedlings were cultured on MS medium containing 0.5 μg ml(-1) thidiazuron (TDZ) and 0.25 μg ml(-1) indole acetic acid (IAA). After 30 days of culture, callus was transferred in hormone-free MS medium (MSO) as well as Ca or Mg or both were completely eliminated from same medium. The amount of five cardenolides from D. davisiana Heywood, D. lamarckii Ivanina, D. trojana Ivanina and D. cariensis Boiss. ex Jaub. et Spach were compared. Higher amounts of five cardenolides and total cardenolides were obtained when callus of four Digitalis species were incubated on MS medium lacking both Ca and Mg. The mean contents of total cardenolides obtained were in the order of D. lamarckii (2017.97 μg g(-1))>D. trojana (1385.75 μg g(-1))>D. cariensis (1038.65 μg g(-1))>D. davisiana (899.86 μg g(-1)) when both Ca and Mg were eliminated from the medium, respectively. This protocol is useful for development of new strategies for the large-scale production of cardenolides.

In Vitro Regeneration of Achillea millefolium L from Shoot-tips and Root Segments of Seedlings

This report describes, for the first time, an efficient plant regeneration system for Achillea millefolium L (yarrow), a medicinal plant, via shoot multiplication from shoot-tips and adventitious shoot regeneration from root segments. Higher numbers of shoots were obtained when shoot-tips were cultured on MSMO medium supplemented with 3.0 mg l−1 BA and 0.5 mg l−1 IAA, or 5.0 mg l−1 KIN and 1.0 mg l−1 IBA, producing 17.3 and 17.0 shoots per explant at 100% frequency, respectively. For adventitous shoot regeneration, only root segments developed shoots when cultured on medium containing a combination of 1 mg l−1 TDZ, 0.5 mg l−1 IAA and 0.5 mg l−1 GA3 (18.9 shoots per explant at 100% frequency), while other types of explants (i.e., cotyledons, leaf lamina and petiole segments) or hormonal combinations tested were found ineffective. Regenerated shoots rooted readily on MSMO medium containing different concentrations of IAA, IBA, NAA or 2,4-D, however, NAA at 0.5 mg l−1, or IBA at 0.5 or 1.0 mg l−1 were found to be the most productive. Nearly all of the regenerated plants (98%) survived through the hardening process when the rooted plantlets were kept at 55–65% relative humidity for 2 weeks, which were then planted in pots containing potting soil and kept at 25–35% humidity.

An efficient in vitro regeneration system for Lythrum salicaria

This report describes an efficient plant regeneration system for the medicinal plant Lythrum salicaria via direct adventitious shoot development from leaf and stem explants. Leaf explants were much more responsive to regeneration than stem segments. Of the hormonal combinations tested, those involving thidiazuron (TDZ; 0.1, 0.3 or 0.5 mg dm−3) were more effective than the combinations of other hormones and 0.1 mg dm-3 TDZ combined with either indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was the most productive. Rooting was readily achieved when multiple shoots were singled out and cultured on medium containing different auxins. IAA was the most effective on root development in terms of both the number of roots per shoot and the frequency of rooted shoots. More than 90 % of the regenerants survived after hardening for four weeks at gradually decreased air humidity.

Innovation of Strategies and Challenges for Fungal Nanobiotechnology

Nanotechnology involves the study and use of materials under the 100 nm scale, exploiting the different physiochemical properties exhibited by these materials at the nanoscale level. Microorganisms are the best model and role of action for the nano/biotechnological applications. This technology has become increasingly important for the biotechnology and the related sectors. Promising applications have been already employed in the areas of drug delivery systems using bioactive nanoencapsulation, biosensors to detect and quantify pathogens, chemical and organic compounds, alteration of food compositions, and high-performance sensors and film to preserve fruits and vegetables. Moreover, the taste of food and food safety can be improved by new nano-materials from the microbiological sources. The huge benefits from this technology have led to increases in the market investments in nanoscience and nanoproducts in several areas.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of A Saponin from Verbascum Thapsus L.

ABSTRACT An extraction and analytical protocol for saponins were established for Verbascum thapsus L., a medicinal plant. Four different kinds of plant sample were analyzed; field-grown, in vitro cultured, commercially obtained leaves and field-grown capsules. A cleanup procedure with Octadecyl (C18) Solid Phase Extraction Column was used prior to HPLC analysis. Ilwensisaponin A was used as an external standard and digitoxin as an internal standard. C18 reverse phase column and gradient elutions (Acetonitrile with 0.1 % Orthophosphoric acid and Water with 0.1 % Ortho- phosphoric acid) were used for HPLC analysis. Commercially obtained leaves had a higher concentration of saponin (0.215 mg/g tissue) than other leaves (0.081–0.198 mg/g tissue) and capsule sample (0.016 mg/g tissue).

Effect of Phytohormones on Micropropagation of Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris L.)

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris L.), a medicinal plant with strong antiviral activities, was regenerated from seedling shoot-tips cultured on medium containing selected concentrations and combinations of various plant growth regulators. The highest frequency of multiple shoot regeneration was obtained with 3.0 mg L−1 BA with 0.1 mg L−1 IAA. Regeneration tests with leaf lamina, petiole, stem internodes, and root explants cultured on medium containing combinations of plant growth regulators at various concentrations were unsuccessful. Regenerated shoots obtained from shoot-tips readily rooted on media containing IAA, IBA, NAA, or 2,4-D, with medium containing 3.0 mg L−1 IAA or 3 mg L−1 IBA being the most effective. Rooted explants transferred to vermiculate in Magenta boxes and acclimated for 2 weeks could be planted into foam cups containing potting soil and maintained in an environmentally controlled plant growth room.

In vitro multiplication of wild relatives in genus Beta conserves the invaluable threatened germplasms

Conservation of threatened plant genetic resources is vital for food security and biodiversity maintenance. Wild species of genus Beta are invaluable germplasm which could be utilized for beet breeding programs. In this study, in vitro multiplication and genotypic responses of different species in the section Beta and Corollinae were compared in presence of plant growth regulators. Following the surface sterilization, seeds were cultivated in vitro. Cotyledonary node explants were excised from the germinated young seedlings and treated with BAP, GA3 and TDZ. The obtained results demonstrated a significant difference between the genotypes in terms of in vitro shoot proliferation efficiency when subjected to BAP and GA3. Among the applied growth regulators, effect of BAP on number of multiplied shoots was the highest. Moreover, the genotypic variation in rooting was also evident when the shoots were subjected to IAA and IBA. This study is the first report of in vitro multiplication of wild species in genus Beta that could be exploited in future germplasm maintenance, gene transformation and breeding studies.

Bioremediation Applications with Fungi

Industrial wastewaters such as olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW) and alcohol factory wastewater (vinasse) with high polluting characteristics affect the ecosystem seriously. The environmental impact of these wastewaters is rather severe due to their organic matter content and dark color. Therefore, it is illegal to dispose these wastewaters directly into the environment. In addition of wastewater treatments, decolorization of Kraft mills is one of the serious problems in pulp and paper industries because of their high color contents. The discharges of Kraft mills present a threat for environment and especially surface waters. These colored effluents contain serious amounts of chlorinated and oxidized lignin compounds. Remediation of this kind of wastewaters by conventional treatment methods has difficult and challenging processes. As a solution, the fungi have been chosen for bioremediation of wastewaters as efficient biological systems as they are able to remove the color and threatful organic content. Mycoremediation is an effective and ecofriendly method for the bioremediation of this type of wastewaters. This method has several advantages over chemical or physical remediation. Besides, fungal enzymes have a great potential for detoxifying and screening most of the environmental pollutants. In the last decade, fungal enzymes have a new application area on sensor technology. Biosensors are able to utilize fungal enzymes including an electrode that may be used for the detection of pollutants such as phenolic compounds. The objective of this chapter is to summarize recent developments in mycoremediation of wastewaters, especially OOMW and vinasse. Here, the role of biotechnologically important fungi such as yeast, molds, and white rot fungi in the mycoremediation of wastewaters is reviewed. The various mycoremediation methods for effective bioremediation and recent developments for fungal enzymes are also discussed.