THE EFFECT OF PURIFIED AMOUNT OF TRITERPENE GLYCOSIDES AND THEIR ENRICHED EXTRACT FROM LEAVES OF SILPHIUM PERFOLIATUM L. ON THE GERMINATION OF SEEDS OF WINTER WHEAT AND THE ACTIVITY OF CATALASE IN THEM

The effect of purified amount of triterpene glycosides (PATG) containing, as major components, oleanolic acid glycosides – sylphiosides B, C, E, G and extract (E) enriched with them from Silphium perfoliatum L. (Asteraceae) leaves on seed germination and catalase activity (EC 1.11.1.6) in them on two varieties of winter wheat (Tritium aestivum L.) was studied. It has been shown that, the treatment of seeds with PATG solutions at concentrations of 0.0005 and 0.001% and E at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.4% increases the intensity of their swelling within 48 hours after soaking by 3.1–5.2% compared to the control, which leads to an earlier achievement of the threshold levels necessary for the activation of metabolic processes. As a result of a study of changes in catalase activity in germinating seeds of winter wheat after 1, 3 and 7 days after soaking, it was revealed that the greatest effect of seed treatment with TG preparations in manifested after 1 and 7 days of observation, its value in relation to the control respectively is 25–35% and 35–55% depending on the variety. The stimulating effect of TG preparations on catalase activity in germinating seeds of winter wheat was established for the first time. Under the influence of treatment with TG preparations the germination energy and laboratory germination of seeds increase by 3–8 and 3–6%, respectively, depending on the variety. The data obtained make it possible to consider the total preparation of TG isolated from leaves of S. perfoliatum as promising growth promoters for pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds.

Production of oleanolic acid glycosides by hairy root established cultures of Calendula officinalis L.

In order to initiate hairy root culture initiation cotyledons and hypocotyls of Calendula officinalis L. were infected with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain ATCC 15834 or the same strain containing pCAMBIA 1381Z vector with β-glucuronidase reporter gene under control of promoter of NIK (Nematode Induced Kinase) gene. The efficiency of induction of hairy roots reached 33.8% for cotyledons and 66.6% for hypocotyls together for both transformation experiments. Finally, eight control and nine modified lines were established as a long-term culture. The hairy root cultures showed the ability to synthesize oleanolic acid mainly (97%) as glycosides; control lines contained it at the average 8.42 mg · g(-1) dry weight in tissue and 0.23 mg · dm(-3) in medium; modified lines: 4.59 mg · g(-1) for the tissue, and 0.48 mg · dm(-3) for the medium. Additionally lines showed high positive correlation between dry/fresh weight and oleanolic acid concentration in tissue. Using the Killiani mixture in acidic hydrolysis of oleanolic acid glycosides released free aglycones that were partially acetylated in such conditions.

Three Oleanolic Acid Glycosides from the Seeds of Achyranthes aspera

From the seeds of Achyranthes aspera three triterpenoid glycosides were isolated and their structures elucidated on the basis of NMR spectroscopic, mass spectrometric and degradative studies as α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-(β-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1→3)-oleanolic acid, α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-(β-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1→3)-oleanolic acid-28- O-β-D-glucopyranoside and α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-(β-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1→3)-oleanolic acid-28- O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranoside.