Effect of explant origin and different concentrations of growth regulators on optimization of cell suspension in Satureja bachtiarica L.

Satureja bachtiarica L., belonging to the Lamiaceae family, is rich in essential oils, used for various purposes including pharmaceutical, food, and health applications. In vitro culture of Satureja, in order to callus induction and optimization of cell suspension, provides rapid production and easy extraction of secondary metabolites. In the present study, callus induction was conducted by using different explants and concentrations of growth regulators. The most suitable calli were selected to induce suspension cultures and were transferred to liquid media supplemented with different combination of BAP and NAA. The experiment was performed in a factorial completely randomized design by using three replications. The cell biomass (cell number) was examined on different days. The mean comparison results for the explant origin showed that the internode explant produced the highest cell number. In addition, evaluation of interaction of explants with media showed that the maximum cell biomass was obtained by internode explant and the medium containing 2mg.L-1 NAA plus 0.5mg.L-1 BAP in the fifth day. On the other hand, study of growth process and cell proliferation during the days after the establishment of suspension cultures, also revealed that this hormonal composition had the highest utility to generate the maximum number of cells in all explants tested.