In the present study, Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Leguminosae) seeds were germinated and grown with different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mmol/l) of cadmium acetate, in order to investigate the effects of cadmium on the growth, uptake, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities in Glycyrrhiza uralensis seedlings. Uptake of Cd in different tissues of seedlings increased with increasing Cd concentrations in the tested medium, with most accumulation in the radicles. Results suggested that increased cadmium concentrations lead to decreased shoot elongation and seedling biomass. SOD activity in the cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles increased gradually up to 0.2, 0.1 and 0.4 mmol/l, respectively. POD activity in the cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles concentrations increased continuously with rising cadmium concentrations up to 0.2, 0.1 and 0.1 mmol/l, respectively. CAT activity in the cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles increased gradually with increasing cadmium concentrations up to 0.2, 0.2 and 0.1 mmol/l, respectively. PPO activity showed significant increases in the cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles at 0.4, 0.1 and 0.2 mmol/l cadmium, respectively. A significant change of PAL activity in the cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles was observed with increasing cadmium concentrations up to 0.2, 0.4 and 0.2 mmol/l, respectively. Results of POD isoenzymes suggested that the staining intensities of isoform patterns were consistent with the changes of the activities assayed in solutions. These results suggested that Glycyrrhiza uralensis seedlings may have a better protection against oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant enzymes and PAL activity exposed to cadmium toxicity.
Wild or cultivated Glycyrrhiza uralensis FISCHER (G. uralensis) are the main source of licorice, and they contain the similar compounds, such as the triterpenoid saponins and flavonoids, but above two kinds of the components contents are low level in the cultivated licorice. To produce the high quality cultivated licorices, researchers studied the affecting factors about the compounds producing in the plant of licorice, and then found that the growth years, genetic differences and water deficit are all the important factors. In this paper, we found that there were different distribution patterns of the main five active components (FAC) including glycyrrhizin, liquiritin, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin in the taproot and stolon of G. uralensis and maybe they are also important influence factors to the FAC contents of the licorices. In wild G. uralensis, the contents of FAC tended to be lower in the younger parts of the stolon, and in the cultivated G. uralensis taproot, the contents of glycyrrhizin, liquiritin and isoliquiritin tended to increase from top to end, contrary to the contents of liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin, which increased first and then decreased. Our results will contribute to the analyses of factors which influence the quality of licorice, and provide some reference for cultivating high quality licorices for herbal medicine.
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