STUDY ON STERILIZING PLANT MATERIALS AND THE IN VITRO CULTURE MEDIUM OF Stephania spp. WITH YELLOW TUBERS

Abstract

Stephania spp. are well- known for the popular medical plants. Their tubers contain a number of alkaloids such as L - tetrahydropalmatin (rotundin), stepharin, roemerin, cycleanin. These compounds are commonly used to produce drugs of tranquilizer, regulation cardiac and respiratory activities, increase immunity, inhibition the growth of cancer cells, tubercle bacilli and process of HIV replication. This paper presents the results of sterilizing plant materials and the in vitro medium for multi- shoot formation of Stephania spp. with yellow tubers. The suitably sterilizing protocol is to wash trunk segments (1.5 - 2 cm in length) by tap-water. After soaking samples in the weak soapy solution for 30 minutes, they were shaken in HgCl₂ 0.1% for 5 minutes and washed by sterilized water from 3 to 5 times. Samples were cultured in the MS medium with the survival rate of 93.33%. The optimum medium formula for rapid shoot organogenesis from segments of the trunk is the basal MS medium supplemented with sucrose 3%, agar 0.8%, coconut 100 ml. L^-1 water and BAP 2.0 mg. L^-1 with 6.05 shoots/sample, 0.87cm of the mean shoot height after 7 weeks of culture. The MS medium supplemented with sucrose 3%, agar 0.8%, coconut water 100 ml. L^-1 + BAP 2.0 mg. L^-1 + NAA 0.6 mg. L^-1 suitable for the growth and development of a complete in vitro plants, the number of roots/ samples reached 5.71, root length reached 4.08 cm after 7 weeks of culture.