title: Enhanced carnosic acid levels in two rosemary accessions exposed to cold stress conditions.
abstract: Two rosemary accessions were subjected to chilling temperatures in control environmental cabins analyzing their variations in rosmarinic and carnosic acids together with their adaptability to these stress conditions. Cold stressed plants of both accessions showed increases in caffeic acid and carnosic acid concentration levels, while other secondary metabolites such as rosmarinic acid, naringin, cirsimaritin, hispidulin, and carnosol showed different responses in both accessions. In addition, cold stressed plants exhibited significant reductions in chlorophylls, beta-carotene, and violaxanthin levels as well as the maximum quantum yield of PSII in both accessions. Hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation levels showed similar responses in both accessions, which were positively and negatively correlated with rosmarinic and carnosic acids. From these results it is therefore suggested that carnosic acid biosynthesis in rosemary plants is induced by chilling periods. On the other hand, we demonstrate that not all rosemary accessions are equally well adapted to chilling temperatures. In fact, for (one) accession cold treated plants severe losses in chlorophyll, beta-carotene, and even xanthophylls (including zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin) were observed, despite no visual symptoms of leaf injury. More research is needed to understand rosmarinic acid variations in rosemary plants under stress conditions.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez s/n, 38072 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. jcluis@ull.es
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Luis
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Frías
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valdés
mesh_terms: D045784:Abietanes / Q000032:analysis*; D002109:Caffeic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D002934:Cinnamates / Q000032:analysis; D003080:Cold Temperature; D053630:Depsides / Q000032:analysis; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000032:analysis; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis*; D027542:Rosmarinus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D000097123:Rosmarinic Acid
chemical_list: D045784:Abietanes; D002109:Caffeic Acids; D002934:Cinnamates; D053630:Depsides; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000097123:Rosmarinic Acid; C018381:salvin; C040048:caffeic acid