Exogenous Putrescine Changes Biochemical (Antioxidant Activity, Polyphenol, Flavonoid, and Total Phenol Compounds) and Essential Oil Constituents of Salvia officinalis L.

Polyamines are small polycationic molecules containing amines that are present in almost all cells of living organisms and act in a wide range of physiological processes, growth, and development, biological and protection of cells against free radicals. This research is based on principal component analysis (PCA) and calculation of selection criteria (SC) to investigate the effect of foliar spraying of polyamine putrescine on essential oil yield, essential oil compounds, antioxidant activity, and biochemical compounds (polyphenol, flavonoid, and total phenol compounds) of Salvia officinalis. The treatments used included four levels of putrescine, Put (Control: 0, Put1: 500, Put2: 1000, and Put3: 1500 mg L-1) with five replications. Based on our results, four factors had eigenvalues >= 1 and showed a cumulative variance percentage of 92.57 % by applying different concentrations of putrescine. According to the results of this research, putrescine had significant effects on the amount of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. The best attention to improving the essential oil yield of sage was 1000 mg L-1. The crucial essential oil compounds of different Put treated sage were: cis-thujone (35.34 %), camphor (15.60 %), trans-thujone (9.90 %), 1,8-cineole (9.46 %), alpha-humulene (3.85 %), viridiflorol (3.62 %), camphene (3.58 %), alpha-pinene (3.50 %), beta-pinene (2.78 %), and limonene (1.23 %). The results showed that the amount of total phenol, the phenolic composition of catechin, and the antioxidant activity of sage plant extract increased significantly when putrescine was used at 1000 mg/liter. Results can use the current research to optimize the production management of medicinal plants and improve the quality of their products. In addition, the advantage of using putrescine is that it increases antioxidants and reduces oxidative damage, and can replace medicinal plants as suitable natural preservatives, thus improving food quality and safety.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of putrescine on the yield, compounds, and antioxidant activity of Salvia officinalis. The results show that putrescine significantly affects the content of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. The optimal concentration for improving sage essential oil yield is 1000 mg L-1 of putrescine. The key essential oil compounds of sage treated with different concentrations of putrescine are cis-thujone, camphor, trans-thujone, and 1,8-cineole. The results also indicate that using 1000 mg/liter of putrescine significantly increases the amount of total phenol, the phenolic composition of catechin, and the antioxidant activity of sage plant extract.