Biological Activities of Leaf and Callus Extracts of Pereskia grandifolia Harworth var. grandifolia
Rosna Mat Taha
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
University of Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA
Abstract:
Tissue culture studies of Pereskia grandifolia Harworth var. grandifolia was carried out with the aim to produce callus ( mass of undifferentiated cells). Axillary bud explants cultured on MS medium supplemented with 5.0 mg/l Benzyl aminopurine (BAP) and 5.0 mg/l Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) gave healthy and the highest callus weight. The callus produced was found to contain saponins and terpenoids which later were tested for antimicrobial and antifungal activities. The crude extracts from leaf ( control) and callus tissues were used to test the effects on several bacteria and fungi. From the study it was observed that the crude methanol extract failed to inhibit some bacteria growth but inhibited the growth of dermatophytes fungi such as Microsporium canis and Trichophyton rubrum. This study also shows that callus which compose of undifferentiated cells can be used as an alternative source for production of useful compounds. In this case, saponin and terpenoid were produced in vitro. Other biological activities of the extracts obtained from this species grown in vivo and in vitro will also be discussed.
