Iranian Medicinal Plants Society Journal of Medicinal plants and By-products 2322-1399 15 3 2026 05 01 Enhanced Eugenol Production in Eryngium campestre L. and Eryngium caucasicum Trautv. via Agrobacterium rhizogenes-Induced Hairy Roots 321 326 135095 10.22034/jmpb.2026.369169.1945 EN Zahra Keykhaee Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Science, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran-Pakdasht, Iran Seyed Ahmad Sadat Noori Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Science, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran-Pakdasht, Iran Ali Izadi Darbandi Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Science, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran-Pakdasht, Iran Mehdi Soltani Howyzeh Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran Journal Article 2025 04 15 Eryngium, an edible and medicinal plant from the Apiaceae family native to northern Iran, is traditionally used to treat inflammation, hypertension, and diabetes. This study investigated the effect of plant species, explant type and bacterial strain on hairy root induction of Eryngium campestre and Eryngium caucasicum via Rhizobium rhizogenes (formerly: Agrobacterium rhizogenes). Leaf, hypocotyl, and cotyledon explants were inoculated with A. rhizogenes (A4, ATCC-15834 and R318 strains). The transformation frequency and the number of roots generated per explant were recorded. The transformation of hairy roots was verified through PCR using gene-specific primers for rolB and rolC. The highest hairy root induction rate (65.8%) was obtained with the ATCC-15834 strain inoculated on the hypocotyls of E. campestre. The shortest time for root induction (7.5 days) was also observed in E. campestre. A high level of eugenol production in hairy roots induced by strain R318 in E. caucasicum shows that this strain has a significant potential to optimize secondary metabolite production in this species. HPLC analysis of the transgenic roots in both Eryngium species showed that the resulting hairy roots contained a significant amount of eugenol. By transferring desirable genes to these two plant species, the resulting hairy roots contain a significant amount of eugenol. Based on these results, this technique offers an effective, genetically stable, and sustainable alternative to conventional extraction or chemical synthesis methods for large-scale production of eugenol-rich secondary metabolites.

https://jmpb.areeo.ac.ir/article_135095_47dd05228de0e8f25e6ec5e9c51b9efe.pdf