PROPERTIES OF THE SESQUITERPENE LACTONES OF in vitro CULTIVATED Saussurea discolor (WILLD.) DC. AND S. porcii DEGEN

Using the UV- and IR-spectroscopy methods in the plantstuff of Saussurea discolor (Willd.) DC. and S. porcii Degen, that are infrequent species of the genus of Saussurea DC., the existence of the sesquiterpene lactones in them was determined. Similar results for the plants cultivated in vitro were received. The contents of the sesquiterpene lactones are approximate to the same ones in the intact plants. It was found as well that the plants of S. discolor have their higher total content. We elaborated the separation criterions (under 5-days extraction of chloroform), purification (using the adsorption chromatography column) and fractionation (applying thin layer chromatography) for the amounts of the sesquiterpene lactones. By thin layer chromatography there were detected the qualitative differences of their spectrum for the explants of plants, grown in vitro and for the S. discolor and S. porcii wild plants. The plant material of both investigated species differs besides by the quantitative content of the main components of the sesquiterpene lactones. All the investigated materials showed maximum amounts of Rf 0,36 and 0,95 components. By diffusion in agar method the existence of the antimicrobial activity of the sesquiterpene lactones was detected. The test-system was Bacillus subtilis. This property was conditioned mainly by the action of the components of Rf 0,36 and 0,95. The results give evidence for the ability of S. discolor and S. porcii to synthesize the sesquiterpene lactones. The cultivated in vitro plants could be as their sources. So the sesquiterpene lactones of S. discolor and S. porcii have the antimicrobial activity.