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The well-known medicinal plant Plantago lanceolata L. (ribwort plantain) was effectively propagated by direct organogenesis from segments of leaves and roots using MS medium supplemented with IAA (11.42 microM), kinetin (9.29 microM) for multiplication and IAA (5.71 microM) for rooting. The plantlets were successfully hardened (80 %) and transferred to field cultivation (100 %). Two lines of callus tissue, derived from leaves and roots, were obtained on MS medium without NH (4)NO (3) and supplemented with 2,4-D (4.52 microM) and kinetin ( 0.46 microM). From plant materials--leaf rosettes from in vitro, leaves from plants in field cultivation obtained by micropropagation, root-derived callus and leaf-derived callus--sixteen phenylethanoid glucosides representing nine different structures were isolated and identified by spectral methods (1D and 2D NMR) as known for the species: lavandulifolioside ( 1), plantamajoside ( 2,) acteoside ( 3); new for the species: leucosceptoside A ( 4), martynoside ( 5), desrhamnosylisoacteoside ( 6), plantainoside D ( 7), desrhamnosylacteoside ( 8) and - 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl beta- D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-4- O- trans- and cis- p-coumaroyl-beta- D-glucopyranoside ( 9)--the latter also being found for the first time in nature and named lancetoside. Only plantamajoside ( 2) and acteoside ( 3) were common to all plant materials, the former was the main constituent of calli (1.19 - 2.84 % of dry weight), while the latter was the main constituent of the leaves (1.78 - 10.43 % of dry weight). Flavonoids were present only in plants of field cultivation.

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The treatment of acanthamoebiasis is a great problem. Most cerebral invasions end with death, and the treatment of ocular invasions is usually long-lasting and not very effective. Numerous plant extracts and substances isolated from plants, which are effective against trophozoites or cysts, have been studied in the treatment of acanthamoebiasis. However, no agents that are simultaneously effective against both developing forms of amoebae have been discovered yet. It seems that such a plant which fulfils both tasks is Artemisia annua L. Our studies showed that water, alcohol and chloroform extracts from the herb A. annua L. can be applied in general and local treatment or in combined therapy with antibiotics in the treatment of acanthamoebiasis. Extracts from this plant show not only in vitro but also in vivo effects. Studies carried out on experimental animals infected with amoebae show that the application of these extracts significantly prolongs the survival of the animals.

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