In vitro culture and biological activity of Solanum dulcamara, a medicinal plant

Solanum dulcamara L. (bittersweet) is a medicinal plant that has been used to treat skin diseases, warts, tumors, felons, arthritis, rheumatism, bronchial congestion, heart ailments, ulcerative colitis, eye inflammations, jaundice and pneumonia. A reliable in vitro culture protocol for bittersweet was established. Explants (leaf and petiole segments) were cultured on Murashige and Skoog minimal organics (MSMO) medium with various hormone combinations. Leaf explants formed more shoots than petiole explants. Best shoot proliferation was obtained from leaf explants with 3mg/l BA plus 0.5mg/l IAA and petiole explants with 3mg/l Kinetin plus 0.1mg/l 2,4-D. Regenerated shoots were transferred to rooting media containing different levels of IAA, IBA, NAA or 2,4-D. Most shoots developed roots on medium with 0,5mg/l IBA, 3mg/l IAA and 1mg/l IBA. Rooted plants were transferred to Magenta containers including vermiculate for acclimatization. After 3 weeks, they were transferred to soil.

Biological activities of bittersweet extracts were assessed using selected bench-top bioassays (antibacterial and antitumor). Four different kinds of plant extracts were analyzed (IM, FM, IW and FW); methanolic extracts of in vitro-grown (IM) and field-grown (FM) plant materials and aqueous extract of in vitro-grown (IW) and field-grown (FW) plant materials. In general, methanolic extracts of field-grown leaves and stems were the most effective and showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhimurium and Serratia marcescens. In vitro grown plant material showed less antibacterial activity than field grown plant material. All four extracts showed antitumor activity and the percentage inhibition was more than 40% in experiments comparing with control (water). Methanolic extracts showed better antitumor activity than water extracts and field-grown leaves and stems were better than in vitro-grown leaves and stems.

Acknowledgements: The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [TBAG-2278(103T024) and TBAG-HD/27(105T040)], Assist.Prof.Dr. Hakan Turker.