Małgorzata Jeziorek, Robert Księżopolski, Iwona Arabas, Agnieszka Irena Pietrosiuk

Species of Arnica – traditional uses and current directions in biotechnological research
2024-02-29

The medicinal use of mountain arnica (Arnica montana L.) has a long tradition in Europe and is currently confirmed by the documented biological activity of extracts from its flowers and helenalin isolated from them. The main groups of specialized metabolites found in Arnicae flos include sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids and phenolic acids. The anti-inflammatory effect that justifies most of the uses of arnica is primarily due to helenalin derivatives, which are currently being studied, among others, in terms of anticancer activity and against selected parasitic protozoa causing tropical diseases. The development of new solutions for obtaining large amounts of arnica material for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, as well as the search for an efficient source of helenalin derivatives, is therefore justified by its biological activity and the expanding range of possible medicinal applications. The high demand for plant raw materials combined with the prohibition on collecting arnica from natural sites, prompted this species’ cultivation, the acquisition of plant material with comparable qualitative and quantitative characteristics from other species (primarily meadow arnica), as well as the use of biotechnological methods in plant in vitro cultures. The majority of publications in this field concern the development of effective micro-propagation of arnica for cultivation. Biotechnological procedures used to develop methods for obtaining helenalin derivatives from plant in vitro cultures benefit both natural science research and economic development, and this potential may also be covered by patent protection. In this study, we present the traditional uses of mountain arnica in Europe in the 20th century and summarize the current directions of research in the 21st century, with particular emphasis on the use of plant in vitro cultures. Aside historical documents, the cited works are related to obtaining valuable plant material from arnica based on selected review publications and original research works available in publication databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect). There are also other species belonging to the Asteraceae family, commonly called „arnica”, mentioned in the regions of Brazil and Mexico (known as Brasilian arnica, Mexican arnica, and false arnica), which are the subject of research works on detailed phytochemical analysis and biological activity, including their anti-inflammatory effect.

Keywords: plant biotechnology, mountain arnica, Chamisso arnica, Arnica montana, Arnica chamissonis.

© Farm Pol, 2023, 79(12): 779–787