Assessment of Two Phytochemical Compositions in Different Parts of Cassia occidentals as Affected by Two Chemical Mutagenic Agents
Azza A. Tawfik *
Department of Horticulture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
G. G. Mostafa
Department of Horticulture, South Valley University, Qnna, Egypt.
N. M. F. Mohamed
Pharmacetical Services Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt.
M. S. Gad
Department of Horticulture, South Valley University, Qnna, Egypt.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Cassia occidentalis is consider as a medicinal plant and widely consumed by animals and humans. A research has been conducted to investigate the effect of two mutagenic agents; ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) and dimethyl sulphate (DMS) on alkaloids and saponins contents in different parts of Cassia plant. To achieve this aim, seeds were soaked in EMS at 0, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 ppm and DMS at 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 ppm for 6 h where the control seeds were remained in the water for the same period of soaking. Seed were sown in 25cm plastic pots containing a soil mixture of clay and sand (1: 1 v/v). At the end of each regeneration, alkaloids and saponins were determined in leaves, stems and roots. The statistical analysis shown that treating C. occidentalis seeds with EMS at 4000 ppm increased the saponins content in leaves, stems and roots of the plants produced in the M2 generation compared with the control plants. While the DMS at 400 ppm increased the saponins content in leaves and roots in the M2 generation. EMS at 5000 ppm significantly increased the alkaloids content in the leaves and slightly decreased the content in the roots in the M2 generation. The effect of EMS and DMS concentrations were fluctuated in both generations.
Keywords: Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), chemical mutation, dimethyl sulphate (DMS), medicinal plants, secondary metabolites