Metabolic fingerprinting (chromatographic profile) by LC-DAD-MS of Erythrina species: development and method validation for quality control of herbal drugs

Author(s)

Naira Buzzo Anhesine

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Araraquara. 2018-03-21.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Química. Araraquara
• Defense date: 2018-03-09
• Advisor: Alberto José Cavalheiro

Abstract

The genus Erythrina (Fabaceae) is widely known for the strong presence of alkaloids, which are a class of secondary metabolites described as chemotaxonomic markers of the genus. These alkaloids are also responsible for a number of biological activities related to the treatment of disorders such as insomnia, anxiety, depression and epilepsy, among other actions in the Central Nervous System, making the species of this genus potential plant drugs for the development of herbal medicines. The efficacy of such drugs is only possible if there is strict quality control of the entire production process to ensure toxicological safety and consistency in therapeutic action, which are fundamental requirements for modern medicines. One of the means used for this purpose is the fingerprint, which is indicated by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as a potential and more reliable method for quality control of complex mixtures, such as medicinal plants. In this context, the aim of this work is to develop a method by UPLC-DAD-MS to obtain a chromatographic profile of the hydroalcoholic extracts of three species of Erythrina: E. verna, E. falcata and E. dominguezii, widely cited in compendia of popular medicine. Because they present the same popular name, mulungu, the quality control of the species of this genus is necessary since they present different chemical compositions. The approach used in this work was the preparation of a representative and complex sample (MIX) containing the three species under study and its four selected organs (leaves,stem barks, flowers and fruits) so that the developed method could cover all of them. Contrary to the traditional and timeconsuming methodology used for the development of a chromatographic method, Fusion Method Development, software designed by S-Matrix®, was used, which handles complex statistics and mathematical models, making it possible to develop a method quickly and efficiently. It was possible to determine the most influential chromatographic variables as well as to obtain a chromatographic method in a short period of time through its four steps (screening, optimization, robustness simulation and fine tuning). Through the chemometric analysis (PCA and OPLS-DA) it was possible to observe that the organs and the species are different from each other and that the erythrin alkaloids are the markers responsible for the differentiation between them. In this way, the quality control of the species of this genus, through a chromatographic profile, is necessary since they have different chemical compositions. Additionally, in order to obtain phytochemical standards for quantitative analysis, three substances of the E. dominguezii stem bark extract were isolated, one of them being a glycosylated flavonoid identified as vicenin-2, while the other two, isolated from a fraction supposedly constituted by alkaloids, are unpublished, belonging to a new class of secondary metabolites and are not alkaloids. For such structures, crystallographic analyzes will be performed for structural confirmation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/09235-9 - Metabolic fingerprinting (chromatographic profile) by LC-DAD-MS for quality control of Erythrina species herbal drugs: development and method validation
• Grantee: Naira Buzzo Anhesine
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master