Quality control and TLC profile data on selected plant species commonly found in the Brazilian market

The use of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a commonplace practice and can be of significant help to different laboratories with quality control, especially those that work with plant extracts and phytotherapeutics. This study evaluated ten species of plants (Schinus terebinthifolius; Arctium lappa; Trichilia catigua; Camellia sinensis; Mikania glomerata; Croton echioides; Achyrocline satureioides; Heteropterys aphrodisiaca; Plantago major; Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) that are commonly sold by compounding pharmacies, using TLC with reference substances and pharmacopoeic physical and chemical tests (loss on drying, level of extractives, and total ash content). The results showed that the ten species showed losses on drying consonant with the literature. The level of extractives for two species and total ash for five species were also consonant with the literature, and those of the other species were established in this study. The semipurified extracts of the ten species were assayed by TLC, and the analysis with the use of reference substances proved to be effective, in addition to being practical, simple, versatile, and economically viable.

Caracterização físico-química e biológica do caule de Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. / Physico-chemical and biological characterization of Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. stems

Visando estabelecer parâmetros para o controle da qualidade do caule de Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. (Caesalpiniaceae), foram realizados testes preconizados pela Farmacopéia Brasileira IV e pela Organização Mundial da Saúde para a avaliação da pureza, através das determinações de materiais estranhos, cinzas totais, cinzas insolúveis em ácido, umidade, ensaios-limites de cloretos e sulfatos, além da pesquisa de contaminantes microbianos no material pulverizado. Para a caracterização dos constituintes, eventualmente presentes na droga vegetal, foram realizadas as determinações de taninos, dos índices de espuma, intumescimento e amargor e o teste de hemólise; também foi realizada a caracterização do extrato etanólico bruto e suas frações por cromatografia em camada delgada.

In order to establish parameters for the control quality of Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. stem, the drug was characterized by the methods described in Farmacopéia Brasileira IV and by the World Health Organization. The powdered plant material was submitted to the following tests for purity evaluation: foreign matter, total ash, acid insoluble ash, water content, chloride and sulfate limit assays, and microbiological contamination. Determination of haemolytic activity, foaming index, swelling index and bitterness index were done to characterize the constituents eventually present in the drug, as well as the characterization of the ethanolic crude extract and its fractions by thin-layer chromatography.

Padrão microbiano em medicamentos não estéreis de uso oral: enquadramento de produtos fitoterápicos / Microbial standards for pharmaceuticals as concerning phytotherapics

Faz-se uma revisão de padrões de qualidade microbiológica para medicamentos não estéreis de uso oral, matérias-primas de origem vegetal e fitoterápicos, a nível mundial e nacional, discutindo-os cronologica e comparativamente. 0 estudo crítico visa avaliar o grau de adequação desses padrões às conclições produtivas reais dos fitoterápicos, considerando a sua natureza. Os autores sugerem norma microbiológica para produtos fitoterápicos de uso oral, com o objetivo de alcançar níveis desejáveis de qualidade e garantir a segurança, eficácia a integridade do produfo final.

This paper presents a review of the main microbiological quality standards of non-sterile oral pharmaceuticals, plant raw materials and phytotherapics, in a cronological and comparative discussion. This critical study aims at verifying the adaptability of existing standards to the actual production conditions of phythotherapics, related to its nature. The authors suggest microbial limits for such a products as a way to achieve a desirable quality to guaranfee safety, efficiency and integrity of the end product.

Determination of mercury in seven kinds of algal plant drugs by the microwave digestion-atomic fluorescence spectrometry / 中国海洋药物

Objective To determine the mercury in seven kinds of algal plant drugs.Method The mercury in the samples was determined by the atomic fluorescence spectrometry after been digested by microwave.Results The detection limit of mercury was 0.045?g?L~(1).The relative standard deviation was 1.65% and the average recovery was 97.77%.Conclusion The method had the advantages of simple operation,higher precision,higher sensitivity and repeatability and was suitable for the determination of mercury in the algal plant drugs.