Optimization of tissue culture in Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, an endangered medicinal plant

Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, a medicinal plant from Apiaceae family, is known as an endangered species in Iran. This plant has many therapeutic properties, including memory enhancement, anticancer, and treating skin diseases and has also high antioxidant activities. Plant cell and tissue culture is an important tool in basic studies and has commercial applications. Tissue culture method can be used to breed medicinal plants or change the amount of secondary metabolites. Due to the high value of C. asiatica, in vitro cultivation can be used to produce more of this plant. Optimizing tissue culture is useful for conducting the applied researches and metabolic engineering of different secondary metabolites biosynthetic pathways. The present study was aimed at achieving a suitable protocol for in vitro propagation and determining the appropriate concentrations of growth regulators for micropropagation of this valuable species. The interaction of BAP (0, 1, 2, and 3 mg.l-1) and IBA (0, 0.5, and 1 mg.l-1) was investigated on proliferation of nodal explants in MS medium. Then, rooting of the propagated explants was evaluated using IBA and NAA. The results showed that MS with 2 mg.l-1 BAP and 1 mg.l-1 IBA and MS with 1 mg.l-1 IBA were the best media for proliferation and rooting, respectively.