TISSUE CULTURE AND EVALUATION OF ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF RUTA GRAVEOLENS L

Abstract

Plant tissue culture is considered, nowadays, as a unique and valuable tool for growing plant cells, tissues and organs and as a production system with secondary products available when and where required. Ruta graveolens L. herb, the object of this study, is a perennial sub shrub with strong heavy unpleasant smell and bitter acrid pungent taste. Tissue culture of this herb was realized to be of very satisfYing growth and accumulated secondary products. The herb is harvested before blooming of flowers for its medicinal properties as anthelmentic, emmenagogue, antidote for poisoning, antibacterial, antirheumatic, in treatment of skin diseases and in eye weakness. This work included tissue culture of this plant in a trial to increase the percent of certain constituents, by using several factors as different explants, different plant growth regulators, total darkness and different concentrations of precursor (cinnamic acid). This work comprises the following: - Chapter 1: Preliminary phytochemical screening Preliminary phytochemical screening of the air-dried powdered parts of the plant revealed that both the aerial and underground parts contained volatile substances, carbohydrates and\ or glycosides, catechol tannins, free and combined tlavonoids, saponins, sterols and\or triterpenes, lactones and\or esters, coumarins and alkaloids. Also both aerial and underground parts were devoid of free and combined anthraquinones and pyrogallol tannins. Chapter 2: Study of the n-hexane extract of Ruta graveolens L. growing in Egypt. The study of the alcohol soluble fraction {A) ofthe n-hexane extract of the plant was carried out to compare it with the extract of the callus cultures ofthe plant.