Responses of Medium Compositions and Plant Growth Regulators to in vitro Organogenesis in Three Platycodon grandiflorum Species

Platycodon grandiflorum, known as balloon flower, is a common Chinese herb in Northeast Asia including China, Korean Peninsula, Japan and Siberia that has been used for decades as a traditional prescription to eliminate phlegm, relieve cough, reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and blood sugar and for weight loss, the treatment of tumors and improvement of human immunity. The extract and some of the major components of P. grandiflorum, such as platycodin D and platycodin D3, have been found to have diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory activity, anti-allergy activity, the ability to augment immune responses, stimulate apoptosis in skin cells, antiobesity and hyperlipidemia effects, and a protective effect against oxidative hepatotoxicity.