Abstract: The effects of different concentration of methyl jasmonate on the cell biomass and flavonoids production in cell suspension cultures of Glycyrrhiza inflata were studied. The results showed that the flavonoids production increased when the methyl jasmonate was added into the medium with the appropriate concentration of 10 - 200 μmol/L, while the cell growth was inhibited to some extent. In addition, the content of H₂O₂, the activity of phenylalanine ammona lyase, catalase, peroxidase and malondialdehyde content all increased with the addition of methyl jasmonate in the medium, which
suggested that the addition of appropriate concentration of methyl jasmonate can result in the defense response , an increase of the expression of the antioxidant system such as catalases and peroxidases, and the increased flavonoids accumulation with 3.39 times of the control.

Key words: Methyl jasmonate