羅勒為一種被廣泛使用的香草作物,因有較高含量的酚酸、類黃酮和其他對人體有益的活性代謝物而備受矚目。本研究目的為提高水耕羅勒葉片中具生物活性之次級代謝物產量,並同時在維持其生長間取得平衡。當添加鈉離子(氯化鈉)或是鈣離子(氯化鈣)至水耕液中,羅勒葉中的總酚酸及總類黃酮含量明顯提升,迷迭香酸生合成相關基因PAL、C4H、4CL、TAT、HPPR、RAS的表現量也隨之顯著上調。此外,藉由PEG6000模擬處理上述鈉與鈣離子所對應的滲透勢。實驗結果顯示植物外部滲透壓力的改變確實會造成酚酸及類黃酮的含量上升,但其組成與鹽離子處理有顯著的不同。根據感應耦合電漿光學發射光譜法(ICP-OES)對離子累積的分析結果,推測添加鈉與鈣離子所影響的次級代謝物路徑可能不同。因羅勒的類鈣調神經素B亞基蛋白(CBL1)基因表現量在各處理組間並無顯著差異,推測應有其他的鈣離子訊息接收蛋白在添加鹽類陽離子時影響羅勒對離子的吸收。綜合上述結果,添加適量鹽類陽離子可作為一種刺激羅勒生成有益次級代謝物的策略,其影響和非離子造成的滲透壓環境改變有顯著不同,而機制仍有待更多研究以闡明。
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a commonly used culinary herb known for its abundance of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and other bioactive metabolites that benefit human. The aim of this study was to find a balance between increasing the production of bioactive compounds and maintaining plant growth in hydroponic basil. By adding sodium (NaCl) or calcium (CaCl2) ions to the hydroponic culture system, a notable increase in the total phenolic and flavonoid contents was observed in the basil leaves. Additionally, the expression of rosmarinic acid upstream genes, including phenylalanine ammino lyase (PAL), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase (4CL), tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), hydroxyl phenyl pyruvate reductase (HPPR), and rosmarinic acid synthase (RAS), was elevated. On the other hand, polyethylene 6000 was introduced to adjust the corresponding osmotic pressure of the two cation treatments. This osmolality change resulted in an increase in phenolics and flavonoids, which showed obviously different compositions from the effects of ion treatments. Ion accumulation analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) revealed the two cation treatments may affect the secondary metabolic pathway through distinct mechanisms. However, the gene expression levels of calcineurin B-like 1 (CBL1) showed no difference between the treatments, indicating that other calcium signal receptors may be involved in ion absorption under the cation treatments. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the addition of a proper concentration of cations can enhance the production of bioactive compounds in basil, which differs from the effects of non-ionic osmotic pressure However, further research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms.