فهرست مطالب زیبا بختیار

In the present study, the diversity and stability of morphological traits and essential oils of four native Iranian species of Thymus including T. persicus (Ronniger ex Rech.f.) Jalas, T. daenensis subsp. daenensis, T. pubescens Boiss., and T. caramanicus Jalas. has been investigated during the process of cultivation and ex situ domestication with an emphasis on the conservation point of view. In terms of ethnobotany, the species are known in their habitat as Ezboe, Orishom, Kekik, and Apishan, respectively, which are used in the treatment of cold and cough. The morphological traits of the species were measured in the habitat and the plants were cultivated in the same environmental conditions. The stability of the morphological and essential oils traits of the cultivated species were studied in the second year. The results showed that plant height and diameter, the number of branches, fresh and dry weight, essential oil content, and their compounds in the cultivated species were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the wild samples. The highest fresh weight (389.8 ± 3.2 g), essential oil content (3.1 ± 0.2%), thymol (73.3 ± 0.6%), and carvacrol (97.5 ± 0.8%) were obtained in cultivated T. persicus, T. daenensis, T. daenensis, and T. caramanicus, respectively. The results will be considered in the domestication and protection programs and germplasm breeding of these valuable Thymus species.

In this study, ethnobotanical data and in vitro conservation of Zataria multiflora Boiss. were investigated. By visiting the plant natural habitats in Fars, Isfahan, and Hormozgan Provinces, it was found that Z. multiflora is locally known as ‘Avishan-e-Shirazi’, ‘Avishan-e-Barg Pahn’, and ‘Avesham’ and used to treat human and animal diseases. Zataria multiflora habitats are being severely destroyed due to the plant materials over-collection from nature for many medicinal in the recent years. So, conservation of this valuable species is necessary. In this study, the indirect plant micropropagation was studied. Induced calli from the seedling were transferred to the Gamborg (B5) medium containing 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) (0.1, 1.5 and 0.2 mg/l) with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (0.1 and 0.5 mg/l) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (0.1 and 0.5 mg/l). The highest shoot-forming capacity (13.8) was obtained in the medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/l BAP and 0.1 mg/l IBA. The maximum root-forming capacity (6.8) was found in the medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l IBA. The rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized (75%). The results can be used to protect germplasm, supply seedlings, and restore the plant habitats.

Trigonella L. is a well-known worldwide growing genus of the Fabaceae family. In addition to food, the plants have various medicinal properties, including reducing fat and blood sugar, antibacterial, anti-ulcer, and analgesic.

Variability in agro-morphological traits, phenolic compounds, and proximate composition of the aerial parts of some Iranian Trigonella and its relative e.g. Medicago L. species was studied to introduce the superior species for further use in breeding and exploitation programs.

The seed samples of T. astroides, T. elliptica, T. filipes, T. foenum-graecum, T. spruneriana, M. crassipes (syn: T. crassipes), M. monantha (syn: T. monantha), M. monspeliaca (syn: T. monspeliaca), M. orthoceras (syn: T. orthoceras), and M. phrygia (syn: T. aurantiaca) were collected from different regions of Iran, and then were cultivated at the same agronomic conditions. Morphological traits were measured by a ruler, digital caliper and scales. Proximate composition (moisture, ash, fibre, protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and phenolic acids of the aerial parts were determined by the AOAC method and HPLC, respectively.

Significant morphological differences among the studied species were observed. The highest protein content was measured in M. orthoceras (13.4 ± 0.4 %), followed by T. filipes (11.5 ± 0.8 %), and T. spruneriana (11.1 ± 0.4 %). Fibre content was ranged from 0.7 ± 0.04 % to 4.9 ± 0.4 %. In the extracts of the studied species, catechin, chlorogenic acid, and p-coumaric acid were found in abundance (0.01 ± 0.05 - 69.32 ± 0.7 mg/g DW).

Trigonella filipes and T. spruneriana could be selected as suitable species for further exploitation in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Thymus persicus is an endemic wild species of the genus Thymus in the Lamiaceae, grows in the northwest of Iran. In this research micromorphological feature of trichome, nutlet and pollen grain using light and scanning electron microscopes and anatomical characteristics was performed to evaluate taxonomic implication of these data. The leaf was dorsi-ventral in transverse section, including a one-layered epidermis, 2-3 layers of compact palisade parenchymatous cells, a large median vascular bundle whit one medium-sized and one small vascular bundle in both side of the mesophyll. Vascular bundle cap was found to be dense sclerenchymatous fibre on the phloem side. Bundle sheath was composed of one-layered parenchymatous cells. Indumentum includes a one to five-celled short and long eglandular trichomes, while glandular trichomes were of capitate and rarely peltate types. Stem had a single layer of epidermis covered with a cuticle as well as glandular and non-glandular trichomes and vascular bundles were separated by parenchymatous cells. Nutlets were 0.7  1.0 mm, brown, ovate in outline, glabrous and with star-shaped papillae ornamentation. The pollens were hexacolpate, isopolar and reticulate. The polar axis (P) and equatorial axis (E) of pollen were 37.4-40.4 and 24.8-28.1 µm, respectively. The ratio of P/E was found to be 1.3-1.5. The results showed that the leaf anatomical, nutlet and pollen micromorphological characteristics could be considered as taxonomic characters in species identification and circumscription of the genus Thymus.

Betulinic, oleanolic and ursolic acid are highly valuable pentacyclic triterpenoids because of their wide spectrum of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antitumor, anti-HIV, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-ulcer, gastroprotective, hypoglycemic, and antihyperlipidemic. Salvia sahendica Boiss. & Buhse is an aromatic, endemic perennial herb which grows in the restricted regions of Northwest of Iran. In the present study, callus induction and cell suspension culture establishment of the plant for the production of triterpenoids were studied. Callus induction was conducted from in vitro-grown leaf explant cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of 2,4-D (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg l−1) and BA (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mg l−1) base on factorial complete random design experiment. Maximum callus induction (100%) was obtained in MS medium supplemented with 1 mg l−1 2,4-D and 0.5 mg l−1 BA. The study of cell growth curve showed that the highest fresh weight (13.2g) and dry weight (2.2g) obtained after 4 week of culture. High content of ursolic acid (173.81 mg/100g DW), betulinic acid (162.2 mg/100g DW) and oleanolic acid (174.32 81 mg/100g DW) were obtained at third week of culture. Results showed that the content of betulinic acid and ursolic acid at third week of culture was 10.4 and 1.5-fold than the aerial part of wild growing plant. These results can be considered for scaling-up of triterpenoids production in bioreactors

Thymus persicus is an endemic species of the genus Thymus (Lamiaceae) which grows in Zanjan and West Azerbaijan (Takab) provinces of Iran. Among the Iranian Thymus species, T. persicus is well differentiated by having the smallest leaf width among Thymus species with long non-glandular and short glandular hairs. In order to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of the T. persicus and T. marandensis Jamzad, the recently and assumed related species to T. brachychilus Jalas and T. leucotrichus Hal., a molecular analysis based on nrDNA ITS sequences of 25 accessions belonging to 19 species of Thymus together with representatives of genera Origanum, Thymbra, Satureja, Micromeria, Gontscharovia, Ziziphora, Saccocalyx and Zataria was performed. The results of phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus Thymus is paraphyletic when the monotypic genus Saccocalyx is included and its sister relationship with Origanum was confirmed. While the phylogenetic position of T. persicus among the other taxa of Thymus is appeared unresolved. T. marandensis turned out to be the sister to a group of Thymus species including T. carmanicus, T. migricus, T. pubescens, T. trautvetteri and T. daenensis.