Artemisia judaica L.: micropropagation and antioxidant activity.

Artemisia judaica L., an Egyptian medicinal plant used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, was mass-propagated and grown using solid, paper-bridge-support liquid, liquid-flask and bioreactor cultures. The liquid-flask culture using 50 ml MS liquid medium in 250 ml flask yielded significantly greater shoot proliferation than either solid cultures or paper-bridge-support liquid cultures. Increasing flask capacity from 100 to 500 ml improved shoot proliferation and growth. Mass-propagation efficiencies of various bioreactor systems, viz. temporary immersion reactors and bubble column reactors, were also compared. The temporary immersion bioreactor was found to have significant advantages for A. judaica shoot proliferation. The shoot cultures from the temporary immersion reactor formed complete plantlets when subcultured onto a medium containing 1 micromoll(-1) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and mature plants were established, acclimatized and thrived in standard greenhouse conditions. Assays of antioxidant activity and total flavonoid content of in vitro and in vivo grown tissues were evaluated as gross parameters of medicinal efficacy. Significantly higher antioxidant activity and flavonoid contents were observed in the tissues of mature greenhouse-grown plants. The efficient in vitro production systems developed in this study provided sterile, consistent tissues for investigation of bioactivity and germplasm conservation of A. judaica.