Study of the feasibility of producing dry extracts of Psidium guajava L. and Eugenia uniflora plants, and Cryptothecia rubrocincta lichen applied as pharmaceutical and food bioinput

• Grant number: 21/13911-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal Investigator: Nilsa Sumie Yamashita Wadt
• Grantee: Nilsa Sumie Yamashita Wadt
• Company: WADT CONSULTORIA FARMACEUTICA LTDA
• CNAE: Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais ; Atividades de profissionais da área de saúde, exceto médicos e odontólogos
• Pesquisadores principais: Danilo Wadt
• Associated researchers: Edgar Matias Bach Hi ; Erna Elisabeth Bach

Abstract

The production of pharmaceutical bioinputs is an extremely important activity for phytotherapy, which is considered as one of the Integrative and Complementary Practices (PIC) in the Unified Health System (SUS) and corresponds to the use of medicinal plants and their derivatives in the most varied pharmaceutical forms. . Brazil is a megadiverse country, as it has about 20% of the world's biodiversity, making it strategically able to participate more effectively in the herbal medicine market. Against this backdrop, WADT Consultoria Farmacêutica Ltda. (WADT), submits this project whose main intention is to study the feasibility of producing dry extracts with desired physical properties, to be applied in the pharmaceutical area, whether in preparations of tablets, capsules, granules, ointments, as an intermediate product, and also in the food area. Two drying techniques will be studied, represented by nebulization or spray-dryer and lyophilization. The justification for choosing the techniques is that they are the most applied for obtaining and standardizing dry extracts, for use as a pharmaceutical ingredient of interest for the production of herbal medicines. The plant species selected in this research (Psidium guajava L. and Eugenia uniflora) are included in the National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest in the SUS (RENISUS), which confirms its potential as a medicinal plant, justifying the importance of investigating via technological feasibility , and the lichen Cryptothecia rubrocincta with coloring and pharmacological potential. It is noteworthy that since 2008, the project coordinator has conducted studies that defined procedures aimed at preparing, drying and grinding the material; established chemical markers for their analytical determination; validated extraction methodologies; conducted the physicochemical evaluation and quantified secondary metabolites with different therapeutic activities; as well as conducted microbiological and toxicological characterization. In this proposal, the preparation, drying and milling of plant material will be conducted; characterized the raw materials and determined the physical-chemical limits to establish parameters for the quality control of the plant drug; extraction, standardization of the extractive solution and phytochemical characterization were carried out; in addition to carrying out the study of drying methods, seeking to optimize and technologically characterize the dry products, to then compare them through physical-chemical evaluation of the extracts and biological activity. The drying and lyophilization tests will be carried out in facilities of two Teaching and Research Institutions (ICTs) based in the State of São Paulo, the Fruit and Vegetable Technology Center (Fruthotec) of the Food Technology Institute (ITAL); and by the Fisheries Institute of the State of São Paulo, linked to the Paulista Agency of Agribusiness Technologies (APTA), respectively. The expected results of the Phase 1 project consist in having defined the system and the best conditions for the most appropriate drying of the plant derivatives (extract) of the leaves of Psidium guajava L. and Eugenia uniflora, and the lichen Cryptothecia rubrocincta to later use them in the development in intermediate and final products of a pharmacological or food nature. And also present the technical and economic/financial feasibility study of the drying of such derivatives. (AU)