Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Sep 16;149(2):557-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.07.021. Epub 2013 Jul 25.
Pelargonium sidoides DC (Geraniaceae), a popular medicinal plant used in folk medicine in the treatment of respiratory-related infections has gained international prominence due to its usage in several herbal formulations. This has led to high demand and the subsequent decimation of wild populations.
Using plant tissue culture techniques, Pelargonium sidoides plants were cloned in vitro, acclimatized under greenhouse conditions and evaluated for their phytochemical content and pharmacological activity.
Phenolic content in extracts of in vitro-derived, greenhouse-acclimatized and wild Pelargonium sidoides plants were analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts against bacterial and fungal strains were evaluated.
Similarities in phenolic profiles were identified confirming the chemical signatures that characterize Pelargonium sidoides plants. Extracts of greenhouse-acclimatized and wild plants exhibited comparable antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
Overall, the study highlights the potential of integrating plant tissue culture technologies in conservation strategies of medicinal plants. In particular, the results strongly suggest the feasibility of both large-scale cultivation and plant part substitution as alternative solutions to the current destructive overharvesting practices of wild Pelargonium sidoides populations.
西洋梨（Geraniaceae），一种在民间医学中用于治疗与呼吸道相关感染的流行药用植物，由于其在几种草药配方中的使用而在国际上受到关注。这导致了高需求和随后的野生种群灭绝。
使用植物组织培养技术，在体外克隆西洋梨植物，在温室条件下驯化，并评估其植物化学物质含量和药理活性。
使用 UPLC-MS/MS 分析体外衍生、温室驯化和野生西洋梨植物提取物中的酚类含量。评估提取物对细菌和真菌菌株的氧自由基吸收能力（ORAC）、2,2-二苯基-1-苦基肼（DPPH）自由基清除活性和最小抑菌浓度（MIC）。
鉴定出相似的酚类图谱，证实了表征西洋梨植物的化学特征。温室驯化和野生植物的提取物表现出相当的抗菌和抗氧化特性。
总的来说，该研究强调了将植物组织培养技术纳入药用植物保护策略的潜力。特别是，结果强烈表明，大规模种植和植物部分替代作为当前破坏性行为的可行替代方案，过度采集西洋梨野生种群。
