Rosmarinic acid, as one of the most valuable phenolic compounds in different plant species, has several
biological properties, including antivirus, antibacterial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory. Elicitors, by
producing messages, can stimulate the production of secondary metabolites in plants. Nitric oxide (abiotic
elicitor) is a stable gaseous radical, which acts as a signaling molecule in plants and in many physiological
processes, development and environmental stresses. Due to the lack of information on the amount of rosmaric
acid and the use of SNP as abiotic elicitor in Nepeta nuda L., the effect of SNP on production of rosmarinic
acid was investigated in four concentrations (0, 25, 50 and 100 μM) in vitro shoot culture of catmint hairless.
The amount of rosmarinic acid was measured by HPLC after drying samples at room temperature. The results
of the samples analysis showed that the content of rosmarinic acid increased 37.7% in treatment of nitric oxide
(25 μM) compared to the control sample (without application of nitric oxide). Also, amount of rosmarinic acid
reduced with increasing nitric oxide concentration in the culture medium. So that the amount of this compound
reached from 54.73 mg.g-1 DW in the control sample to 14.61 mg.g-1 DW in treatment of nitric oxide (100
μM). The results of this study indicated catmint hairless plant has the high level of rosmarinic acid and the
amount of this valuable drug combination improved with the use of abiotic elicitor nitric oxide at low
concentration.