Analytical development for pfaffic acid quantification in genotypes of Pfaffia paniculata and analytical standard production

• Grant number: 08/01376-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2008
• End date: March 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marili Villa Nova Rodrigues
• Grantee: Marili Villa Nova Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas (CPQBA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Paulínia , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The species Pfaffia paniculata Kuntze (Amaranthaceae) known as "Brazilian ginseng" by the similarity of the morphology of their roots with the Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng. - Araliaceae) it is very used in the popular medicine as tonic aphrodisiac and antidiabetic purposes. Among the several therapeutic activities of their roots it is included the activity analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral. The activity anti-tumoral, attributed to the pfaffic acid present in the roots of P. paniculata woke up great interest for the commercialization of this species. In Brazil, although the species P. paniculata is the more maid in commercial preparations the species P. glomerata is usually used as substitute mainly in the south area of the country or in mixture (it swindles), once to P. paniculata it is of difficult cultivation. It is important to point out that the species of P. paniculata and P. glomerata possess different chemical constitutions consequently, different pharmacological activities, being necessary the use of an appropriate quality control for the differentiation of the species. Once the pfaffic acid is present just in the P. paniculata, the authenticity of this species can be accomplished through the quantification of this composed in the roots, the one that comes justify the need of a validated analytical method. However, the main challenge in the development of this analytical method is the commercial unavailability of the analytical pattern of pfaffic acid, taking to the need of isolation of the same, besides the chemical difficulty of the molecule (absence of a suitable chromophore groups and high polarity). The therapeutic importance of the P. paniculata above all as anti-tumoral, the readiness of a collection of different genotypes in the Experimental Field of CPQBA and the lack of a select analytical method for the quality control of this Brazilian species motivated the elaboration of this project, that it seeks to validate a chromatographic method for application in the quality control of the "Brazilian ginseng" and disposal of larger information on the different genotypes of the collection using molecular markers. The methodology developed for the quantification of pfaffic acid, it will be used in the selection of different genotypes of P. paniculata cultivated in the Experimental Field of CPQBA-UNICAMP, besides the analytical contribution for the control of the quality of the Pfaffia paniculata, that will already serve as support for other research projects in development. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NOVA RODRIGUES, MARILI VILLA; SOUZA, KELLY DE PAULA; GARCIA REHDER, VERA LUCIA; VILELA, GISELE FREITAS; MONTANARI JUNIOR, ILIO; FIGUEIRA, GLYN MARA; RATH, SUSANNE. Development of an analytical method for the quantification of pfaffic acid in Brazilian ginseng (Hebanthe eriantha). Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, v. 77, p. 76-82, APR 15 2013. (08/01376-6)