Abstract:

This research aims to elucidate the differences of the enzymatic antioxidant abilities of Valeriana jatamansi Jones leaves under the conditions of shading and open field cultivation, and to provide a reference for studying the responses of V. jatamansi to sunny environments and formulating the supporting techniques of field cultivation of V. jatamansi. The V. jatamansi leaves under the conditions of the shading and open field in the central part of Yunnan Province were used as the test materials, and the soluble protein content and the specific activities of the antioxidases, i.e., catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of the leaves were determined with spectrophotometry. Compared with the shading condition, the open field condition decreased the soluble protein content of the V. jatamansi leaves by 11.30%, but increased the specific activities of the CAT, POD and SOD, and the MDA content of the leaves by 11.43%, 30.90%, 21.58% and 18.48%, respectively. The differences of the soluble protein content and CAT specific activities of the leaves under the condition of the shading and open field cultivation did not reach the significant level, whereas those of the specific activities of the POD and SOD and the MDA content all reached the significant level. Under the conditions of open field cultivation, the soluble protein contents of the V. jatamansi leaves declined and the peroxidation-induced damages of the cellular lipids became worse, but the specific activities of the CAT, POD and SOD rose simultaneously to strengthen the enzymatic antioxidant ability of the leaf cells.

Key words: leaves of Valeriana jatamansi Jones, specific activities of antioxidases, soluble protein content, malondialdehyde content, shading and open field cultivation