Phytotherapics standard for the treatment of chronic diseases: pharmacognostic quality control, microbiological and pharmacological study of medicinal plants of the Brazilian cerrado.

• Grant number: 11/09980-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2011
• End date: January 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal Investigator: Wagner Vilegas
• Grantee: Cássia Regina Primila Cardoso
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 09/52237-9 - Standardized herbal medicines for the treatment of chronic diseases, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Brazil is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth that, coupled with a rich ethnic and cultural diversity, has the potential to develop research related to new drugs of plant origin. For this purpose is achieved, it is essential to the structuring of teams that join efforts in new projects, exchanging knowledge and experiences and to ensure quality, efficacy and safety of drugs derived from Brazilian medicinal plants.All analytical procedures for control of herbal drugs, required by law, must be based on the Brazilian Pharmacopeia, other pharmacopoeias recognized by ANVISA guides or quality control of plant species published by the World Health Organization The test package consists of quality botanical identification in macro and microscopic determination Phytochemistry, tests of authenticity and purity (ash, moisture, texture, organoleptic characteristics), microbiological testing, among others. Participation in multidisciplinary research of future herbal obtained from the Brazilian biodiversity, one of the main objectives of this project, consists of all the above steps, based on current legislation and also on pharmacological studies that scientifically prove the effects of standardized extracts. Currently, the clinic requires new therapies for many chronic diseases and critical as inflammatory disorders, painful, immunological, among others. Certainly, the standardization of these preparations, together with the quality control process and effective pharmacological assays, will allow increasing the reliability, acceptance and success of the therapy.The proposed post-doctoral, linked to the project "Standardized Herbal Medicines for the treatment of chronic diseases" of FAPESP, intends to support the multidisciplinary group in the preliminary stages of the quality of the plant drug, according to the requirements of current legislation, conducting tests pharmacognostic, microbiological and phytochemicals of the most promising species. In a second stage, will promote the development of special techniques and standardization of toxicity tests involving in vitro mutagenicity (Ames Test) and pharmacological tests of standardized extracts of phytoestrogens.In addition to the support activities and research carried out internally, a partnership with the Universidad de Castilla la Mancha (Spain) allow the exchange of scientific information and methodologies with Spanish groups of botanists and pharmacologists in the field of neurodegeneration, enriching and complementing the objectives initially proposed by thematic project underway and this project and bound him.