Perfil cromatográfico de constituintes fenólicos em espécies medicinais da flora brasileira

Abstract

The use of plants for therapeutic purposes is an ancient practice. In Brazil, the herbal medicine is very expressive due to a great plant biodiversity. The medicinal value attributed to some plants results from the presence of secondary metabolites in their composition. Recently, many studies aimed the identification of phytocompounds, such as phenolic compounds, since they present important pharmacological properties. This study investigated the phenolic constituents present in the medicinal species Connarus perrottetti var. angustifolius, Cecropia palmata, Cecropia obtusa and Mansoa alliacea. These plants are found in Brazilian Amazon and are extensively utilized in popular medicine, even though there is little scientific knowledge on their chemical composition. Therefore, this study aims to determine the chromatographic profile of phenolic compounds in the aforementioned species, collected in three different years, submitted to extraction with solvents of different polarities and finally characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography. Some phenolic acids and flavonoids have been identified, suggesting that these plants pharmaceutical potential is correlated to their composition. Furthermore, it was observed that the composition, and even concentrations, varied over the period evaluated. Although various biotic and abiotic factors may have contributed to such behavior, the importance of detailed chemical analysis is evident in order to ensure the ideal concentrations of active compounds for the therapeutic treatment.