Abstract
Chlorogenic acid, a pharmacologically important compound, is a phenolic compound that occurs in certain commonly used medicinal herbs. We looked for the presence of this compound in the callus cultures of Varthemia persica DC (var. persica). We have evaluated the conditions for establishment of callus cultures of V. persica and the in vitro production of chlorogenic acid. Callus was initiated by culturing seedling of V. persica on MS basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of kinetin, naphthalene acetic acid and 2,4-diphenoxy acetic acid. Also, the influence of light, and phytohormones on the production of chlorogenic acid was examined. Kinetin stimulated the production of chlorogenic acid. Replacement of 2,4-diphenoxy acetic acid with naphthalene acetic acid did not alter the chlorogenic acid production. The ability to induce the accumulation of chlorogenic acid in the V. persica callus cultures offers an opportunity to produce a phenolic compound with therapeutic value.