11 International Journal of Botany Studies www.botanyjournals.com ISSN: 2455-541X Received: 25-10-2024, Accepted: 24-11-2024, Published: 09-12-2024 Volume 9, Issue 12, 2024, Page No. 11-15 Micropropagation studies from nodal and internodal explants of Tylophora indica. (Burm. f.) Merrill N Ramamurthy 1* , S Balaraju 2 , S Suresh 3 1 Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, PVKN Govt Degree College (A), Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Govt Degree College Huzurnagar, Telangana, India 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, MVS Govt Degree College, Mahabubnagar, Telangana, India Abstract This review provides an in-depth and comprehensive overview of the in micropropagation studies of Tylophora species, which have medicinal properties. It is a threatened medicinal plant (climber) of the family Asclepiadaceae. Here in the present study we developed an efficient micropropagation protocol from nodal and internodal explants of Tylophora indica. micropropagation is an alternative method of propagation of the threatened and endangered plant which can aid its conservation. The nodal and inter-nodal explants were cultured on MS medium containing different concentration and combinations of growth regulators like cytokines, 6- benzyl amino purine (BAP) and Kn. Multiple shoot buds were regenerated successfully from the nodal explants which were efficiently rooted on half strength MS medium supplemented with 6- benzyl amino purine (BAP) and Indole- 3-butyric acid (IBA). The regenerated plantlets were successfully transferred to the glasshouse, acclimatized and transferred to the field. Keywords: Tylophora indica, asthma herb, micropropagation, nodal and internode explants, MS Medium Introduction Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merrill, commonly called Antamul or Indian ipecac, is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae. It is a perennial, woody, climbing shrub and is found on plains, hilly slopes and the outskirts of the forests of eastern and southern India. The plant is used as folk remedy in certain regions of India for the treatment of bronchial asthma, inflammation, bronchitis, allergies, rheumatism and dermatitis (CSIR 2003) [5 ] . It also seems to be a good traditional medical remedy for psoriasis, seborrhoea, anaphylaxis, leucopenia and it is an inhibitor of the Schultz– Dale reaction. The powdered leaves and roots contain the alkaloids tylophorine (responsible for strong anti-inflammatory action; Gopalakrishnan et al. 1980) [8 ] and tylophorinine. The roots also contain a potential anticancer alkaloid, tylophorinidine (Mulchandani et al. 1971) [12 ] . Several pharmaceutical companies (Acron Chemicals, Mumbai, India; Sabinsa Corporation, Piscataway, NJ, USA) are marketing T. indica extracts as antiasthmatic herbal drugs. The lack of proper cultivation practices and the indiscriminate way in which this plant is collected from its natural habitat pose a serious threat to its existence in the wild. Moreover, propagation, either by seed or by vegetative cuttings, is rather difficult. Stem cuttings failed to produce proper root when treated with different growth regulators (Chandrasekhar et al. 2006) [2, 3 ] . Propagation through tissue culture offers a viable alternative for this species because it can also be used as a complimentary strategy for conservation and utilization of genetic resources. Further, in vitro plant regeneration through axillary bud culture is an easy and economic way of obtaining a large number of consistently uniform and true-to-type plants within a short span of time. So far a single report on the micropropagation of T. indica via axillary shoot proliferation has been reported (Sharma and Chandel 1992) [19 ] ; this approach produced only a few shoots. There is an obvious need to develop an efficient regeneration system for effective conservation and rapid multiplication in order to meet market demands and to replenish highly impoverished populations. The objectives of the study reported here were to (1) optimize the culture conditions applied for the initiation and proliferation of shoots from nodal explants of T. indica through enhanced axillary branching, and (2) induce rooting in micro shoots and establish the plantlets in outdoor conditions. The present study was carried out to standardize efficient protocols for micropropagation Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merrill via nodal and internode explants. Materials and methods Material Plant material of the Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merrill. In addition to their use in micropropagation studies, the plants were also planted in the Botanical Garden of Department of Botany, PVKN Govt Degree College (A), Chitoor, Andhra Pradesh and a plantation was raised in the form of a green hedge. Tylophora indica is a slow growing, perennial climber of tropical and subtropical regions leaves and stem spiral opposite petiolate leaves, entire, smooth shiny, varying in shape and size according to their age. Further, a good protocol for micropropagation was developed to aid in its multiplication and conservation. Micropropagation studies Tylophora indica plants were subjected to in vitro propagation and a good protocol for micropropagation was developed to aid in its multiplication and conservation. The micropropagation studies comprised the culture of nodal and internodal explants on different culture media under standard growth conditions. The nodal and intermodal explants were collected from mature and healthy field grown plants. They were washed under running tap water