Isolation and structural identification of vouacapane diterpenes in fruits of Pterodon emarginatus Vogel

• Grant number: 24/06589-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Helena Taleb Contini
• Grantee: Maria Vitória Vicente da Silva
• Host Institution: Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP). Campus Ribeirão Preto. Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Pterodon emarginatus Vogel (Fabaceae) is a tree species commonly known as "sucupira-branca". It is a popular medicinal plant in the Brazilian cerrado. Its fruits are used in traditional medicine in the form of alcoholic macerations to controlling the inflammatory process in upper airways disorders. Chemical studies carried out with species of the genus have identified substances from the class of alkaloids, triterpenes and diterpenes. Furthermore, research carried out to evaluate the biological and pharmacological activities of Pterodon has demonstrated that vouacapane skeleton diterpenes are associated with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, antirheumatic, antinociceptive properties, among others. Recently, the promising effect of the anti-inflammatory activity of vouacapanes against inflammatory mediators occurring in SARS-CoV-2 infection was highlighted, considering them as an attractive alternative approach for the treatment of COVID-19. Furthermore, such substances can be used as chemical markers in the quality control and standardization of medicines made from Pterodon. In view of the wide medicinal use of P. emarginatus and the promising biological and pharmacological potential of vouacapane diterpenes, the objective of this work is to isolate and identify vouacapane diterpenes from the alcoholic extract of its fruits, with the aim of contributing with studies aimed at discovering new drugs, providing information that can also help in the quality control of medicines made from sucupira. To achieve this, the alcoholic extract will be subjected to different isolation and structural identification processes, using classical column chromatography (CC), Thin later chromatography (TLC), HPLC-UV and GC-MS techniques; infrared spectroscopy (IR), 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and mass spectrometry (MS).