Simultaneous and intercontinental tests show synchronism between the local gravimetric tide and the ultra-weak photon emission in seedlings of different plant species.

In order to corroborate the hypothesis that variations in the rate of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) from germinating seedlings are related to local variations of the lunisolar tidal force, a series of simultaneous tests was performed using the time courses of UPE collected from three plant species-corn, wheat and sunflower-and also from wheat samples whose grains were transported between continents, from Brazil to The Netherlands and vice versa. All tests which were run in parallel showed coincident inflections within the UPE time courses not only between seedlings of the same species but also between the different species. In most cases, the UPE inflections were synchronised with the turning points in the local gravimetric tidal variation. Statistical tests using the local Pearson correlation verified these coincidences in the two time series. The results therefore support the hypothesis of a relationship between UPE emissions and, in the oscillations, the local gravimetric tide. This applies to both the emissions from seedlings of different species and to the seedlings raised from transported grain samples of the same species.

Development and validation of a HPLC method for standardization of herbal and commercial extracts of Myrcia uniflora

Myrcia uniflora Barb. Rodr., Myrtaceae, popularly known as "pedra-hume-caá" in Brazil, is sold as dry extracts in capsules or as tinctures for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Previous phytochemical studies on this species described the occurrence of the flavonoids mearnsitrin and myricitrin. In the present study, the chromatographic profiles of M. uniflora leaves and commercial extracts were determined using HPLC-PAD. Myricitrin was used as an external standard in the development and validation of the HPLC method. The proposed method is simple, rapid and reliable and can be successfully applied in industry for standardization of herbs and phytomedicines commercialised in Brazil as "pedra-hume-caá".

Validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the standardisation of Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae, commercial extracts / Validação de método de cromatografia líquida de alta performance para padronização de extratos comerciais de Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae

Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae, popularly known as marapuama or muirapuama or miriantã, is a species native to the Amazonian region of Brazil. Extracts of the bark of the plant have been used traditionally for its stimulating and aphrodisiac properties and currently commercialised by the herbal industry as constituents in a wide range of phytomedicines. Fractionation by open column chromatography followed by preparative HPLC-UV/PAD of the stem bark and of three commercial extracts of P. olacoides allowed the isolation of three components that were common to all extracts analysed, and these were identified by NMR to be vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid and theobromine. Vanillic acid, which has been proposed as a phytochemical marker for P. olacoides, was employed as an external standard in the development and validation of a rapid qualitative and quantitative HPLC assay for the analyte. The recoveries values of the developed method were 99.02 percent and the LOD and LOQ values were 0.033 and 0.11 mg.L-1, respectively. The described method may be applied to the standardisation of herbs, extracts or phytomedicines commercialised as marapuama.

Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae, popularmente conhecida como marapuama, muirapuama ou miriantã, é uma espécie nativa da região da Amazônia do Brasil. Extratos das cascas da planta são tradicionalmente usados por suas propriedades estimulantes e afrodisíacas, e frequentemente comercializados como constituinte de uma grande variedade de formulações fitoterápicas. O fracionamento por coluna cromatográfica aberta seguida por CLAE-UV/PAD das cascas do caule de três extratos comerciais de P. olacoides permitiram o isolamento de três substâncias comuns em todos os extratos analisados. Os compostos foram identificados por RMN como ácido vanílico, ácido protocatecuíco e teobromina. O ácido vanílico foi utilizado como marcador fitoquímico para P. olacoides e empregado como padrão externo no desenvolvimento e validação de um método de análise qualitativo e quantitativo rápido por CLAE. O valor da recuperação do método desenvolvido foi de 99,02 por cento e os valores de LOD e LOQ foram 0,033 e 0,11 mg.L-1; respectivamente. O método descrito poderá ser empregado para a padronização de plantas, extratos ou fitoterápicos comercializados como marapuama.

Validated HPLC method for the standardization of Phyllanthus niruri (herb and commercial extracts) using corilagin as a phytochemical marker.

Phyllanthus niruri L., commonly known in Brazil as 'quebra-pedra', has long been used in the treatment of diverse diseases and especially urolithiasis. The therapeutic effects of P. niruri are attributed to various compounds present in the plant, including the hydrolysable tannin corilagin. In the present study, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-/PAD) profiles of leaves and commercial extracts of P. niruri were examined and three compounds, found to be present in all of the samples studied, were isolated by open column chromatography over C18)silica gel followed by preparative HPLC. These compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance as corilagin, rutin and ethyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate. Corilagin, which has been proposed as a phytochemical marker for P. niruri, was employed as an external standard in the development and validation of a rapid and efficient qualitative and quantitative HPLC assay for the analyte. The method may be applied in the standardization of herbs and phytomedicines commercialized in Brazil as quebra-pedra.