The application of multi-shoots cultures in micropropagation of willow herb (Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop.)

Willow herb (Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. syn. Epilobium angustifolium L.) from Onagraceae family is a valuable medicinal plant that has been used in the treatment of urogenital disorders including BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy). The raw material is a rich source of polyphenols as well as steroids, triterpenoids and fatty acids. The extracts show pharmacological activities: anti-androgen, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and analgesic properties. Due to frequent interspecific hybridization, plants collected in the wild display a diverse and variable content of active compounds. This poses a challenge in obtaining high quality and homogenous raw material. Application of the in vitro cultures and micropropagation techniques may offer a solution for alternative methods of cultivation. This work presents preliminary results of the implementation of Ch. angustifolium in vitro cultures to obtain raw material for the first time. Sterile seedlings were donors of explants, which were used for induction of multi-shoots culture according to a modified Turker’s protocol. Six different genotypes (lines) originating from root explants were chosen for clonal propagation. Efficiency of the elaborated method was 16 – 20 shoots per explants. Finally, over 3000 acclimatized plants were obtained and used for field crops.