Micropropagation and Secondary Metabolites Content of White-Purple Varieties of Orthosiphon aristatus Blume Miq.

Background and Objective: The cat whiskers plant (Orthosiphon aristatus Blume Miq) is a plant that has been widely used as raw material for traditional medicine. The population of white-purple varieties of O. aristatus is decreasing efforts to maintain the white-purple O. aristatus need to be done keeping in mind its potential as raw material for traditional medicine. This study aims to determine the composition of a suitable medium in growing plantlet O. aristatus white-purple varieties and the content of its secondary metabolites. Materials and Methods: The internode explants were induced on MS medium added by various combinations of zeatin and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Root induction was carried out on shoots formed on MS medium with Indole-3-Butyric Acid (IBA). The acclimatization process was carried out using soil media. Determination of secondary metabolite levels was carried out on O. aristatus (in vitro culture) and wild-type plants aged ten months using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: MS+BAP 2ppm+NAA3 ppm media was the optimal medium for growing shoots in leaf explants. Media MS+zeatin 3 ppm+2,4-D 2 ppm produced good shoot growth on internode explants. The best root induction occurred in MS+IBA media of 0.75 ppm. The acclimatization process was successful on shoots originating from the internode, while those from leaf explants had not succeeded in growing and developing. Conclusion: The levels of rosmarinic acid and sinensetin in the white-purple variety O. aristatus (in vitro culture) were 1.08 and 1.62% w/w and higher than those of wild varieties.