Hairy roots induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes are distinguished by their high growth rate, genetic stability, and lateral branching. Datura metel is an important medicinal plant whose hairy roots are used for the production of atropine, a tropane alkaloid applied as an anticholinergic and parasympathetic agent. To increase the yield of atropine, biotic (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and abiotic (AgNO 3 and nanosilver) elicitors were added to the hairy root cultures of D. metel and then analyzed through highperformance liquid chromatography. All the elicitors influenced biomass accumulation and atropine production. Among the tested elicitors, nanosilver was most effective in enhancing the hairy roots' atropine content. To the authors' knowledge, the application of nanosilver for increasing tropane alkaloid production is reported for the first time here and could improve the atropine production of pharmaceutical industries.

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Methanol extracts from different parts of Prangos acaulis showed significant antibacterial activity against the single form of S. mutans and inhibited biofilm formation without any mutagenic activity. The extracts showed significance antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against the test microorganism in a dose dependent manner, which could be contributed to ar-curcumene, d-limonene and alpha-pinene. Hence, this plant can be considered as a candidate for preparation of a new drug against microorganisms.

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