Standardized Petroselinum crispum extracts: potential source of diuretic, antimicrobial and antiviruses compounds

• Grant number: 15/16012-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2016
• End date: December 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal Investigator: Luciana de Ávila Santos
• Grantee: Luciana de Ávila Santos
• Company: Cis Biomoléculas Ltda. - ME
• City: Carapicuíba
• Pesquisadores principais: Otavio Aparecido Flausino Junior
• Associated researchers: Andresa Aparecida Berretta e Silva ; Cristina Adelaide Figueiredo ; Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/01424-7 - Standardized Petroselinum crispum extracts: potential source of diuretic, antimicrobial and antiviruses compounds, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Standardized extracts of Petroselinum crispum - potential source of diuretic, antimicrobial and antiviral compounds. For almost one decade, the federal government is preparing projects to encourage research and development in the area of medicinal plants and herbal medicines. In 2006 it launched the Ministerial Decree MS/GM No. 971, which approved the National Policy on Integrative and Complementary Practices (Política Nacional de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares - PNPIC) in the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) and Decree No. 5.813 which approved the National Policy on Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines (Política Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos - PNPMF). These policies stated the encouragement of research and development of medicinal plants and herbal medicines by prioritizing the country's biodiversity. In addition, they encourage the adoption of herbal medicine in public health programs, with the inclusion of some herbal medicines in the national drug schedule (relação nacional de medicamentos - RENAME, RENAFITO, RENAPLAN). In February 2009, the government launches another strategy with the publication of a list consisting of 71 native plant species with potential to advance in the stages of the production chain and to generate products of interest to SUS. These plants are already used by the population as traditional medicines, however, some of them require scientific studies to prove their safety and effectiveness. Among the medicinal plants members of this list, the Petroselinum crispum is present, popularly known as salsa or parsley, originally from the Mediterranean and now grown worldwide mainly for use in cooking, highlighting, however its use as an herbal medicine. The popular use as medicine demonstrates parsley as an excellent diuretic and hypotensive in different regions. Many of these ethnobotanical information is reported in the literature, and for some of them it was possible to associate scientific aspects of its importance as plant drug. However, no studies have reported the relation of the chemical profile of extracts with various pharmacological activities reported for this medicinal plant, as well as, a chemical marker has not been defined. Thus, this project aims to determine the chemical profile of standardized extracts of P. crispum (aqueous and alcoholic, according to the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia) which will undergo standardized biological assays and driven to some of the activities reported in the literature for this plant*. This first step will also include toxicity tests for the extracts in order to verify the feasibility of using the same in the production of phyto-derived medicines. The pre-fractioning of the extracts guided by the proposed biological assays will give guidance for the definition of principle active(s) that will lead, finally, to the methodology validation for quality control, to be further used in the possible industrial production derived from these extracts. The evidence of potential activity of these extracts in biological assays, as well as, their safety and efficacy are the results expected to proceed to the use of this and other 70 plants from RENISUS (National List of plants of interest to the SUS - Relação nacional de plantas de interesse para o SUS), considered by its uses in folk medicine, but lacking scientific data to use as phyto-derived medicines in basic health care. (AU)