Quantitative changes of secondary metabolites of Matricaria chamomilla by abiotic stress.

The responses of young plants of diploid and tetraploid Matricaria chamomilla cultivars to abiotic stress were studied. The course of quantitative changes of main leaf secondary metabolites was evaluated within an interval from 6 h before to 54 h after spraying the leaf rosettes with aqueous CuCl2 solution. The content of herniarin in the treated plants rose approximately 3 times, simultaneously with a decline of its precursor (Z)- and (E)-2-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy-4-methoxycinnamic acid. The highest amounts of umbelliferone in stressed plants exceeded 9 times and 20 times those observed in control plants of the tetraploid and diploid cultivar, respectively. Due to stress the concentration of ene-yne-dicycloether in leaves decreased by more than 40%. The pattern of quantity changes of the examined compounds in tetraploid and diploid plants was similar.