Nitric oxide induced carotenoid contents in Crocus sativus under salinity

Abstract

Crocus sativus possesses unique apocarotenoid compounds such as crocins and picrocrocein involved in color, taste, flavor and medicinal benefits of Saffron. Crocus sativus L. corms were treated with Nitric Oxide (NO) and salt. Crocins and picrocrocin contents were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) resulted a significant increase of crocins in treated plants with NO and salt that reveals the stimulating effect of NO in apocarotenoid biosynthesis besides the inductive role of salt stress. This raise can be attributed to expression of CsPDS, CsPSY, CsLYC, CsBCH, and CsCCD2 that were remarkably altered. Treating plants with NO caused more phenol production in oppose to less flavonoid content; however, salinity could increase both. Therefore, NO induced crocins and picrocrocin biosynthesis due to impressing gene expression. This increasing effect was enhanced when salinity was simultaneously imposed.

Keywords:

• Carotenoid
• Crocins
• Crocus sativus
• HPLC
• nitric oxide
• picrocrocin
• salinity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Acknowledgments

We appreciate financial supports provided by Iran National Science Foundation (Project no. 90003944) and Science and Technology Park of University of Tehran.