Gaseous methyl jasmonate can increase hypericins content in Hypericum perforatum aseptic plants

Hypericum perforatum is an important medicinal plant which is traditionally used to treat diseases of the digestive tract. Recently its ability to improve mood and fight depression was shown. This effect is caused mainly by hypericins and hyperforin, the substances with a wide range of biological activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of methyl jasmonate on the production of hypericins, using the elicitor in a gaseous form. This is a natural way of methyl jasmonate transfer from plant to plant but such form of the elicitor application is underestimated in biotechnological practice.

Aseptic plants of H.perforatum were used. Methyl jasmonate treatment was performed using 4 elicitor concentrations. The plants were cultivated for 3 days, after that the shoots were harvested, lyophilized, extracted with ethanol, and hypericins content was determined by HPLC.

It follows from the obtained data that airborne methyl jasmonate can significantly increase the content of hypericins in the shoots of St. John’s wort. Thus, the addition of 2 μl methyl jasmonate diluted in ethanol in a ratio of 1: 10000 can increase the content of hypericins in the shoots up to 50%, diluted in a ratio of 1: 1000000 - by 30%. Undiluted methyl jasmonate slightly reduced the content of the studied substances.

It can be assumed that such a simple and convenient way of treating in vitro cultivated plants with methyl jasmonate may be highly suitable for increasing the content of hypericins as well as other biologically active secondary metabolites

Publication History

Article published online:
13 December 2021