LAUSR

Abstract Amburana cearensis (cumaru) is a tree species native to the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Extracts obtained from its bark, seeds and leaves are widely used in folk medicine. The growing demand for phytotherapic preparations from this species makes it necessary to develop techniques for commercial cultivation to supply inputs to the pharmaceutical industry. In this respect, in vitro culture is a viable alternative to meet this demand. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two cytokinins, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and meta-topolin (Mtop), on the direct organogenesis and to establish the phytochemical profile of A. cearensis. In vitro multiplication was tested from leaf and cotyledon segments, inoculated in woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with varying concentrations of BAP (0.00, 2.22, 4.44, 6.66 or 8.88 μM) or Mtop (0.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 or 10.0 μM). Phytochemical screening and high-performance liquid chromatography were carried out to establish the phytochemical profile of extracts from the aerial part of cumaru, obtained from plants resulting from conventional conditions in greenhouse, clonal shoots and from in vitro culture. The results allowed establishing a new protocol for in vitro regeneration of A. cearensis using Mtop. The extracts these plants grown in vitro contained a higher quantity of flavonoids than those grown under conventional conditions. The results obtained from this study provide valuable new information to support future works, so that the medicinal properties and the secondary metabolites produced by this plant can be further investigated in benefit to human health in sustainable form.