Medicinal plants and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi
Abstract
Despite advances of the last four decades in utilizing chemical synthetic approaches to drug design and sophisticated structure-activity studies, there is a growing interest for plant compounds with an action in the field of medicine. In the production of pharmaceutical compounds from medicinal plants two parameters are of importance, first the quality and content of the bioactive compounds and secondly, the compound yield as the product of content and the production of biomass. The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is a symbiotic association between plant roots and fungi. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonize roots and improve plant nutrition. This, in general results in a higher yield of the AM crop, especially in poor soils. Moreover, in plants colonized by mycorrhizal fungi a range of biological and chemical parameters are altered, such as the accumulation of secondary plant compounds. Data on an altered accumulation pattern of a range of secondary plant compounds from different chemical groups (e.g. flavonoids, cyclohexanone derivatives, apocarotenoids, phytoalexins, phenolic compounds, triterpenoids, and glucosinolates) in mycorrhizal plants are available. Several studies report that flavonoids are increased in different mycorrhizal plants. Flavonoids, present in the extracts of several medicinal plant e.g. Primula veris, are bioactive compounds (with a mucolytic, antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial activity). This would mean that an encrease of flavonoid levels in Primula veris by AMF enhances the pharmaceutical effect of the extract of this plant. The general idea of the presented proposal is to increase the production of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants through colonization of the plant by symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In large scale production of medicinal plants even relatively small increases of the pharmaceutical compound content through mycorrhization on the single plant level can translate in a total product increment of economic interest. In our approach an enhanced compound production can be obtained through i) an increased content of bioactive compounds through mycorrhization ii) an increased production of biomass through mycorrhization and/or iii) through the combination of i) and ii) To summarize, a positive effect on the production of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants through mycorrhization is not only of economic interest (through the enhanced compound amount per hectare) but has also an environmental aspect as AMF are an important factor in sustainable agriculture.
keywords Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Secondary plant compounds Medicinal plants
Publikationen
The effect of mycorrhization on pharmacological active compounds of medicinal and aromatic plants
Autoren: Nell, M.; Steinkellner, S.; Vierheilig, H.; Zitterl-Eglseer, K. Jahr: 2008
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis on biomass parameters of three medicinal root drug plants
Autoren: Nell M., Wawrosch C., Steinkellner S., Vierheilig H., Franz C., Novak J., Kopp B., Zitterl-Eglseer K. Jahr: 2009
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Effect of phosphorus uptake on growth and secondary metabolites of garden sage (Salvia officinalis L.)
Autoren: Nell, M; Votsch, M; Vierheilig, H; Steinkellner, S; Zitterl-Eglseer, K; Franz, C; Novak, J Jahr: 2009
Journal articles
RootRAP, 7th ISSR symposium Root Research and Applications BOKU Wien
Autoren: Nell M., Steinkellner S., Vierheilig H., Novak J., Wawrosch C., Franz C., Zitterl-Eglseer K. Jahr: 2009
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Root Colonization by Symbiotic Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increases Sesquiterpenic Acid Concentrations in Valeriana officinalis L.
Autoren: Nell, M; Wawrosch, C; Steinkellner, S; Vierheilig, H; Kopp, B; Lössl, A; Franz, C; Novak, J; Zitterl-Eglseer, K Jahr: 2010
Journal articles
Project staff
Siegrid Steinkellner
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Siegrid Steinkellner
siegrid.steinkellner@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-95001, 95301, 95302
BOKU Project Leader
01.01.2006 - 31.12.2009
BOKU partners
External partners
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Ao.Prof.Dr. K. Zitterl-Eglseer Institut für Angewandte Botanik
coordinator