An in vitro and hydroponic growing system for hypericin, pseudohypericin, and hyperforin production of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum CV new stem)

Murch SJ, Rupasinghe HP, Saxena PK.

Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

While the interest in medicinal plants continues to grow, there is a lack of basic information with respect to efficient protocols for plant production. Recently, in vitro regeneration protocols have been developed to provide masses of sterile, consistent St. John's wort. The current study assessed the potential for acclimatization of in vitro grown St. John's wort plantlets to a nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system in a controlled environment greenhouse. Quantitative analyses of hypericin, hyperforin and pseudohypericin in flower tissues were used as the parameters to assess the quality of the greenhouse-grown plants. The three bioactive compounds were found to be present in similar or higher amounts than previously reported values for field-grown plants. These data provide evidence that greenhouse hydroponic systems can be effectively used for the efficient production of St. John's wort and other medicinal plants.

PMID: 12494339