In vitro induction of polyploids using colchicine causes an increase in DNA content in plants. This is of high importance especially for plants that have medicinal and commercial values. Seeds of two medicinal plants, licorice Glycyrrhiza glabra L. var.glandulifera and safflower Carthamus tinctorius were treated with different concentrations of colchicine, 0%, 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.08%, 0.1% (W/V) in vitro for 24 and 48 h. Treated seeds then were cultured on solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) media under controlled conditions. After a month, the length of the stomata was measured to study the effect of colchicine on stomata size. Cellular DNA content of the regenerated plants was measured by spectrophotometry. Flow cytometry was used for confirming the results obtained from stomata size measurement and spectrophotometry. Results suggested that treated plants have a fair amount of larger stomata, significantly in licorice plantlets that were treated with 0.1% colchicine for 24 h and safflower plantlets that were treated with 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.1% colchicine. Safflower DNA content in all treatments enhanced significantly, but in licorice only DNA content of plantlets that were treated with 0.05% colchicine for 24 h and 0.1%, 0.03% colchicine for 48 h found to be increased significantly. The morphological features of treated plantlets such as shoot and leaf thickness were found to be increased. Flow cytometry confirmed the previously mentioned results and suggested tetraploids in all treated safflower plantlets and licorice plantlets obtained from treatment with 0.08% of colchicine and mixoploids in licorice plantlets obtained from treatment with 0.1% of colchicine. ª 2015 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf

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A range of endemic Nicotiana species are chewed as a smokeless tobacco by several Aboriginal populations of Australia. In tobacco research, nicotine to nornicotine conversion is important because nornicotine lowers tobacco quality and is detrimental to health. A diverse group of cytochrome P450 genes with different transcriptional regulations are involved in this conversion. The primary aims of this study were to quantify the pyridine alkaloids and investigate nicotine to nornicotine conversion in laboratory-grown Australian Nicotiana spp. Nicotine, nornicotine, anatabine, anabasine, myosmine and cotinine were quantified in fresh leaves of 24 out of the 26 recognised Australian Nicotiana taxa. Conserved regions of CYP82E related genes were PCR amplified in all studied taxa. The conversion process in fresh leaves was compared with that in leaves that underwent a simulated curing process for species that we identified as being high converters (N. cavicola, N. goodspeedii, N. velutina) and low converters (N. benthamiana, N. excelsior, N. gossei). Agarose gel electrophoretic analysis of CYP82E related genes obtained from the PCR amplification of the cDNA in fresh versus leaves with simulated curing showed about a 3-fold increase in transcript accumulation levels in cured leaves of the high converter species, while the transcript accumulation in N. gossei and N. excelsior maintained a steady basal level and increased by a small amount in N. benthamiana. This suggests the presence of functional loci that are triggered by curing in only high converter species and indicates a potential risk for chewers of high converter species.

The use of colchicine to induce polyploids increases secondary metabolite production potential and has been used for many years for the production of valuable compounds in plants. This project took advantage of this method to increase the production of secondary metabolites in licorice. For this purpose, seeds of licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra var. glandulifera, were treated with different concentrations of colchicine for 24 hours and then cultivated in vitro. After a month, the effect of colchicine on the cellular DNA level of cotyledons was analyzed by spectrophotometry and flow cytometry. For callus induction, root explants of one month old plantlets derived from colchicine treated seeds were transferred to MS medium containing growth regulators and the anthocyanin and glycyrrhizic acid levels of the callus tissues were measured after two months of growth. The total DNA content of plantlets derived from seeds treated with 0.05%, 0.08% and 0.1% of colchicine for 24 hours was increased significantly. Treated plants had increased numbers of larger stomata, significantly in those treated with 0.1% of colchicine for 24 hours. After colchicine treatment, the root, shoot and leaf thickness was found to be increased, while their length was decreased. Results of flow cytometry showed changes in ploidy level in plantlets obtained from treatment with 0.08% (mixoploids) and 0.1% (tetraploids) of colchicine. Anthocyanin level was significantly increased in callus obtained from plantlets treated with 0.08% of colchicine. The amount of glycyrrhizic acid in all treatments increased, especially in the 0.1 and 0.03% colchicine treatments and this seems to prove an increased production of metabolites in polyploid licorice tissues.

The Aboriginal population of Central Australia use endemic Nicotiana spp. to make a smokeless tobacco product known as pituri that they chew/suck for nicotine absorption. This thesis describes the relative abundance of nicotine alkaloids amongst Australian Nicotiana spp., with special focus on the molecular characteristics of nicotine to nornicotine conversion.The most popular chewed species, N. gossei, is investigated for nicotine release and cytotoxicity in comparison to similar products to gain insight into potential hazards to pituri users.To analyse the alkaloids of Nicotiana leaves, a HPLC-UV method was developed to separate and quantify six closely related alkaloids (nicotine, nornicotine, anatabine, anabasine, myosmine, cotinine). A C18 column with a mobile phase of ammonium formate buffer (pH 10.5) separated the six alkaloids within 13 min with detection at 260 nm. Linearity, precision and reproducibility were satisfactory. The limit of quantification was 2.8 and 4.8 µg/mL for nornicotine and nicotine, respectively, and below 2 µg/mL for other alkaloids. This method quantifies more alkaloids and in less time than previously reported methods.Tobacco alkaloids are responsible in formation of carcinogenic tobacco specific nitrosamines such as N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). To quantify NNN and NNK, a fast LC-MS/MS method was developed using a HILIC column with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. The linearity, accuracy, recovery and repeatability for this method were satisfactory, with quantification limit of 2.6 and 4.3 ng/mL for NNN and NNK, respectively. Nornicotine results from demethylation of nicotine, and is associated with negative effects on health. A group of cytochrome P450 genes that are mainly expressed during senescence or drying is involved in this conversion. The conversion loci were amplified in all studied 24 taxa, and sequenced in 6 selected species that contrast in conversion phenotype. Transcript accumulation of the responsible loci in fresh versus dried leaves of low or nonconverter N. gossei, N. excelsior and N. benthamiana maintained a steady level or a slight increase, but increased by 3 fold in cured leaves of the high converter N. goodspeedii, N. velutina and N. cavicola. This indicates the presence of functional loci that are triggered by curing only in high ii converter species and poses a potential risk for chewers of these species due to their greater potential for nornicotine production.The release of nicotine from the leaves of N. gossei was compared to that from a Swedish snus, the CORESTA reference smokeless tobacco (CRP2), and Nicabate chewing gum. A model buccal cavity system was developed and three different chewing conditions, performed manually were tested over 120 minutes: no chewing action, initial chewing and chewing at 15-minute intervals. To simulate the effect of alkaline wood ash, the effect of alkaline pH on the release of nicotine from N. gossei dry leaves was also evaluated. Samples ...

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