Monitoring of phenolic compounds for the quality control of Melissa officinalis products by capillary electrophoresis.

INTRODUCTION: Official assays for the quality control of Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) leaves establish the quantification of total hydroxycinnamic derivatives expressed as rosmarinic acid. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this work was to develop a simple, fast and reliable method for monitoring the phenolic composition in herbs from the Lamiaceae family and for rapidly detecting M. officinalis adulteration or substitution in commercial medicinal samples in Argentina. METHODOLOGY: A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was performed under the following conditions: the background electrolyte (BGE) consisted of 20 m m sodium tetraborate buffer, pH 9.2; the applied voltage was 25 kV; the capillary and sample temperatures were kept at 25 °C; the hydrodynamic mode was selected for the sample injection (3.45 kPa during 5 s). RESULTS: A CZE method that achieved the separation and simultaneous determination of eight related phenolic compounds in less than 11 min was optimised for application to control quality analysis of M. officinalis-based products. The method was validated according to the US Federal Drug Agency requirements and offers advantages in terms of analysis time, cost and operation. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed methodology can be applied to the standardisation and quality control of plant material and phytopharmaceutical products derived from the Lamiaceae family, as indicated by the results obtained in the analysis of commercial medicinal products in Argentina.

Trace element profile of a wild edible mushroom (Suillus granulatus).

Seventeen elements, Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn (macroelements and trace elements) were investigated by Atomic Spectrometries on a particular wild edible mushroom collected in the central region of Argentina during 2 different years in the same season. The metal content profile in Suillus granulatus samples is given. The found quantities of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, V, and Al were 0.40, 10.84, 0.48, 0.30, 0.57, 4.24, 0.18, and 1.23 g/kg dry weight, respectively. The levels of Li, Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Cr, and Mn were 0.98, 23.02, 22.30, 0.26, 0.16, 1.17, 0.90, and 28.75 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Pb was not detected at the investigated levels. The results indicate that the levels of metals in the analyzed samples are not considered to be a health risk. In order to demonstrate the validity of our method, a recovery study was performed with acceptable results.

Toxoplasmosis: métodos de diagnóstico y prevención / Toxoplasmosis: diagnosis and prevention methods

La toxoplasmosis es una enfermedad parasitaria causada por toxoplasma gandi, que afecta al hombre, ave y mamífero. Es una enfermedad asintomática, por lo tanto en la mayoría de individuos inmunocompetentes pasa totalmente desapercibida, aunque los cuadros clínicos dependen del órgano afectado por el SIDA y los casos de toxoplasmosis congénita revisten suma gravedad y de allí el interés de salud pública para el diagnóstico adecuado y aplicación de medidas preventivas. Los métodos de diagnóstico actuales se basan en el hallazgo del parásito por medio de métodos directos, así como técnicas indirectas basadas en la búsqueda de anticuerpo mediante procedimientos serológicos. La detección de anticuerpo de tipo IgG e IgM principalmente, se realiza mediante la utilización de técnicas como IFI, ELISA, ISAGA y otras. Las aplicaciones de la PCR están ganando un valioso espacio como método de diagnóstico, aunque no es aplicable en la mayoría de los países debido a su alto costo. El tipo de tratamiento y su duración dependen del cuadro clínico presentado. Las medidas preventivas ocupan un rol fundamental en la prevención de la toxoplasmosis congénita y en inmunocomprometido. La aplicación adecuada y seriada en los programas de prevención constituye el objetivo principal en la mayoría de los países .

Determination of metal content in valerian root phytopharmaceutical derivatives by atomic spectrometry.

Phytopharmaceuticals containing Valerian are used as mild sleep-inducing agents. The elemental composition of 3 different marks of Valeriana officinalis roots commercially available in the Argentinian market, their teas, and a commercial tincture have been studied. The content of Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn was determined in phytopharmaceuticals by flame atomic emission/absorption spectrometry, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, and ultrasonic nebulization coupled to inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Prior to analyses of the samples, a digestion procedure was optimized. The analytical results obtained for Fe, Al, Ca, and V in the solid sample study were within the range 100-1000 mg/kg, and for Mn, Zn, and Pb within the range 10-100 mg/kg. Cadmium was found at levels up to 0.0125 mg/kg.