ABSTRACT
A differential morphoanatomical study was performed in two Argentine species: Hybanthus parviflorus and Hybanthus bigibbosus. Fresh material fixed in acetoalcoholic formalin and material from herbarium were employed. Paradermal and longitudinal sections of stems and transversal sections of leaves were prepared and stained with aqueous alcoholic safranin. The hydrochloric fluoroglucyn test was performed. Known and novel characters (distribution of vascular bundles of the primary stem and type and relative length of cover hairs and cuticular ornamentation of the adaxial epidermis, respectively) prove to be of value for the recognition of these species.Furthermore, the intestinal propulsor activity, related to the popular uses of these species was also assessed. Infusions of the whole plant, their roots and the 50 percent EtOH extracts of the aerial parts of H. parviflorus and H. bigibbosus were tested by the activated charcoal method. The extracts of H. parviflorus proved to have a significant activity which would allow validating its popular use.
Se encaró el estudio morfoanatómico diferencial de dos especies argentinas: Hybanthus parviflorus e Hybanthus bigibbosus. Se trabajó con material fresco fijado en formalina aceto-alcohólica y de herbario. Se realizaron preparados paradermales y cortes longitudinales y transversales de tallos y transversales de hoja empleando safranina alcohólico-acuosa y el test de floroglucina clorhídrica. Caracteres conocidos (distribución de haces vasculares en tallo primario) y novedosos (tipología y longitud relativa de tricomas tectores; ornamentación cuticular de la epidermis adaxial) poseen valor diferencial para el reconocimiento de estas especies.Asimismo se determinó la actividad de propulsión intestinal de ambas especies, relacionada con su uso popular. Se ensayaron las infusiones de la raíz y de las partes aéreas y el extracto EtOH 50 por ciento de las partes aéreas de H. parviflorus e H. bigibbosus, empleando el método del carbón activado. Los extractos de H. parviflorus presentaron una actividad significativa que permitiría validar su uso popular.
Subject(s)
Plant Extracts , Plants, Medicinal , Violaceae/anatomy & histology , ArgentinaABSTRACT
Tea, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze (Theaceae) is cultivated in Argentina in the northeastern region (provinces of Misiones and Corrientes), between 26 degrees and 28 degrees south latitude, the southernmost area of the world where tea is cultivated. The objective of this work was to determine the total polyphenol content and the in vitro antioxidant capacity of green and black tea cultivated and industrialized in Argentina. Twelve samples of eight brands were analyzed. The total polyphenol content was determined according to the International Organization for Standardization method (ISO) 14502-1 for the determination of substances characteristic of green and black tea. The antioxidant capacity was determined by the ferric thiocyanate method (FTC) and the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical scavenging assay. Green tea showed a higher polyphenol content than black tea. The total polyphenol concentration in green tea was found to vary from 21.02 +/- 1.54 to 14.32 +/- 0.45% of gallic acid equivalents (GAE), whereas in black tea, the polyphenol content ranged from 17.62 +/- 0.42 to 8.42 +/- 0.55% of GAE (P < 0.05). A similar profile was observed for the antioxidant capacity determined by both methods. The antioxidant activities were well correlated with the total polyphenol content (r (2) = 0.9935 for the ferric thiocyanate method and r (2) = 0.9141 for the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free-radical scavenging assay). This is the first systematic screening for the quantification of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in tea commercialized in Argentine markets. The results obtained herein allow one to conclude that Argentine tea is of very good quality when compared to teas from other sources.