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Synergistic Effects of Drought Stress and Photoperiods on Phenology and Secondary Metabolism of Silybum marianum

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Abstract

Silybum marianum is an important medicinal plant of the family Asteraceae, well known for its set of bioactive isomeric mixture of secondary metabolites “silymarin”, primarily acting as a hepato-protective agent. Abiotic stress augments plant secondary metabolism in different plant tissues to withstand harsh environmental fluctuations. In the current study, our aim was to induce drought stress in vitro on S. marianum under the influence of different photoperiod treatments to study the effects, with respect to variations in secondary metabolic profile and plant growth and development. S. marianum was extremely vulnerable to different levels of mannitol-induced drought stress. Water deficiency inhibited root induction completely and retarded plant growth was observed; however, phytochemical analysis revealed enhanced accumulation of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total protein content along with several antioxidative enzymes. Secondary metabolic content was positively regulated with increasing degree of drought stress. A dependent correlation of seed germination frequency at mild drought stress and antioxidative activities was established with 2 weeks dark + 2 weeks 16/8 h photoperiod treatment, respectively, whereas a positive correlation existed for TPC and TFC when 4 weeks 16/8 h photoperiod treatment was applied. The effects of drought stress are discussed in relation to phenology, seed germination frequency, biomass build up, antioxidative potential, and secondary metabolites accumulation.

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Abbreviations

TPC:

Total phenolic content

TFC:

Total flavonoid content

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TDZ:

Thidiazuron

BA:

6-Benzyladenine

GA3 :

Gibberellic acid

FW:

Fresh weight

DW:

Dry weight

WC:

Water content

DPPH:

1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

PVP:

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone

BSA:

Bovine serum albumen

OD:

Optical density

POD:

Peroxidase

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

NBT:

Nitro blue tetrazolium

ANOVA:

Analyses of variance

DMRT:

Duncan multiple range test

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalent

QUE:

Quercetin equivalent

FRSA:

Free radical scavenging activity

SDS-PAGE:

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis

CAT:

Catalase

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Acknowledgments

Financial support of Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Adnan Zahir, Bilal Haider Abbasi, Muhammad Adil, Sumaira Anjum & Muhammad Zia

  2. Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Ihsan-ul-haq

Authors
  1. Adnan Zahir
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  2. Bilal Haider Abbasi
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  3. Muhammad Adil
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  4. Sumaira Anjum
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  5. Muhammad Zia
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  6. Ihsan-ul-haq
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Correspondence to Bilal Haider Abbasi.

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Zahir, A., Abbasi, B.H., Adil, M. et al. Synergistic Effects of Drought Stress and Photoperiods on Phenology and Secondary Metabolism of Silybum marianum . Appl Biochem Biotechnol 174, 693–707 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-014-1098-5

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