A comparative analysis of the content of sugars and flavonoids in the hairy roots of sunflower Heliantus annuus L

Relevance. Sunflower Heliantus annuus L. roots are used in the treatment of urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. Harvesting of sunflower roots for medical purposes is fraught with a number of problems, of which the impossibility of year-round cultivation, the absence of devices and machines for collecting roots, and contamination of roots with pesticides are most relevant. In this regard, it is of great interest to obtain hairy roots of sunflower that can grow on hormone-free nutrient media in isolated cultures. The aim of our work was to create hairy roots of sunflower using strains A4 and 15834 of Agrobacterium rhizogenes, evaluate their growth parameters when grown on solid media, and analyze their content of water-soluble sugars and flavonoids. Material and methods. The study revealed greater efficiency of strain A4 than strain 15834 for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of sunflower cotyledon explants. The content of sugars and flavonoids was measured spectrophotometrically using alcohol extracts. Results. The content of water-soluble sugars in the hairy root culture obtained using strain 15834 of A. rhizogenes was more than 2 times higher than that in the hairy roots obtained using strain A4 of A. rhizogenes. Naturally grown sunflower roots contained fewer water-soluble sugars than hairy roots. The total content of flavonoids in sunflower hairy root cultures obtained using strains A4 and 15834 of A. rhizogenes did not differ significantly, but on average it was 2.7 times higher than in native sunflower roots. Conclusion. The hairy roots of sunflower were obtained by agrobacterial transformation of cotyledon explants in vitro. The resulting hairy roots are characterized by unrestricted growth on hormone-free media and a higher water-soluble sugar content than native plant roots.

Heliantus annuus, Agrobacterium rhizogenes, Heliantus annuus, sunflower, hairy roots, Agrobacterium rhizogenes, water-soluble sugars, flavonoids