Up-regulation of secondary antioxidant metabolites in Darjeeling grown tea clones under
natural and artificial UV radiation exposure Jessica Li Maan Chen1, Mohini Basu1, Reetish Raj Sahoo1, Hridi Halder1, Sagnik Bhattacharjee1, Shuvrangshu Guha1,Saheli Dey1, Sailanki Nandy1, Sudeshna Shyam Choudhury1 * *Corresponding author (mantul2000@rediffmail.com) 1:Department of Microbiology , St.Xavier’s College(Autonomous) , Kolkata
ABSTRACT
Naturally prevalent ultraviolet radiation (280-320nm) is responsible to upregulate secondary
metabolites in high altitude grown plants. Artificial UV exposures are also capable to upregulate antioxidant metabolites but in lesser extent. Different altitude grown tea leaves were collected from Darjeeling (27.0360° N, 88.2627° E)tea gardens (Gopaldhara- 6500 ft msl, Thurbo- 5500ft msl, Phuguri 3900 ft msl, Sourenee 2500 ft msl) for two different seasons and corresponding UV radiation was monitored with UV meter—Gopaldhara--4500 μW/cm2/sec during first flush and 5000 μW/cm2/sec during second flush, Sourenee--2000 μW/cm2/sec during first flush and 2800 μW/cm2/sec during second flush . After collection of leaves the morphological, biochemical and microbiological characterization was done. Antioxidant potential, total flavonoids, polyphenols, UV absorbing compounds were monitored- which shows that there is a correlation between UV dose (natural) with up-regulated secondary metabolites in tea leaves—increased natural UV dose up-regulates increased secondary metabolites, moreover second flush leaves show higher content of all those metabolites. In higher altitude grown tea leaves (first flush) total flavonoid content is higher like Gopaldhara tea clones 5.8 mg/ml GAE, where as Phuguri grown tea clones contain 3.02 mg/ml GAE, in both the cases the content were increased in second flushes. Antioxidant potential are also higher in high altitude grown Thurbo clones—70.09%, whereas low altitude Sourenee grown tea leaves have lower antioxidant potential like 56.08%. Antimicrobial potentials are higher in high altitude grown leaves –Gopaldhara tea clones show 4.5 mm zone of inhibition against Bacillus sp., whereas Phuguri tea clone shows lower zone of inhibition is around 2.66mm. The antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials were higher in second flush tea. The same observations were also followed for manufactured tea of above two flushes. One year old potted tea plants were exposed under artificial UV radiation. It was observed that the upregulated polyphenols, flavonoid content is directly proportional to artificial UV dose up to 21 days. Artificial UV dose was set around 1070.85μW/cm2/sec with UV lamps and a control experiment was set where the UV radiation was hindered with soda glass(able to cut UV-B radiation of 320nm). Flavonoid content increases upto 20% in UV treated tea plant with respect to control within 21 days period , as well as antioxidant potential was initially 35% in UV treated plant which increases upto 68.7% after 21 days, but there is no remarkable change in antimicrobial potential. The soil microbes were characterized for both natural and artificial UV exposure.
Keywords: Natural and Artificial , UV radiation , tea, high altitude, antioxidant , antimicrobial