Pires Cristiana, Martins Natália, Carvalho Ana Maria, Barros Lillian, Ferreira Isabel C F R
Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), ESA, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, Bragança, Portugal.
Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), ESA, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, Bragança, Portugal.
Nutrition. 2016 Jul-Aug;32(7-8):834-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2016.01.005. Epub 2016 Jan 13.
A large body of evidence has confirmed a multitude of health benefits of plant products and their derived formulations. Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is a good example, widely used due to its therapeutic properties. In the present study, the chemical composition of the different samples and antioxidant properties of E. purpurea hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts obtained from dry or fresh raw material were evaluated and compared with dietary supplements based on the same plant (tablets and syrup), to determine the most active phytopharmacologic preparation or formulation.
Chemical composition of the different samples was assessed through the determination of free sugars, organic acids and tocopherols. The in vitro antioxidant properties were determined using four assays: 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging activity, reducing power, inhibition of b-carotene bleaching and inhibition of lipid peroxidation by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. Total phenolics and flavonoids were also determined.
Overall, the hydroethanolic extract of fresh plant revealed the highest activity, directly related with its higher contents in phenolic (229.22 ± 4.38 mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/mL), flavonoids (124.83 ± 7.47 mg GAE/mL), organic acids (8.89 ± 0.10 g/100 g), and tocopherols (4.55 ± 0.02 mg/100 g). Tablets followed by syrup revealed the worst effect, positively correlated with the lowest abundance in bioactive molecules. The weak in vitro antioxidant potential of commercial phytopharmacologic formulations could be related to their chemical composition, including the addition of excipients.
Further studies are necessary to deepen knowledge on this area, namely focusing on in vivo experiments, to establish upcoming guidelines to improve the quality and bioavailability of phytopharmacologic formulations.
大量证据证实了植物产品及其衍生制剂对健康有诸多益处。紫锥菊就是一个很好的例子，因其治疗特性而被广泛使用。在本研究中，对从干燥或新鲜原料中获得的紫锥菊水乙醇提取物和水提取物的不同样品的化学成分及抗氧化特性进行了评估，并与基于同一植物的膳食补充剂（片剂和糖浆）进行比较，以确定最具活性的植物药理制剂或配方。
通过测定游离糖、有机酸和生育酚来评估不同样品的化学成分。使用四种测定方法来确定体外抗氧化特性：2,2-二苯基-1-苦基肼（DPPH）自由基清除活性、还原能力、β-胡萝卜素漂白抑制和硫代巴比妥酸反应性物质（TBARS）法抑制脂质过氧化。还测定了总酚和黄酮类化合物。
总体而言，新鲜植物的水乙醇提取物显示出最高活性，这与其较高的酚类（229.22±4.38毫克没食子酸当量[GAE]/毫升）、黄酮类（124.83±7.47毫克GAE/毫升）、有机酸（8.89±0.10克/100克）和生育酚（4.55±0.02毫克/100克）含量直接相关。片剂其次是糖浆显示出最差的效果，这与生物活性分子的最低丰度呈正相关。商业植物药理制剂体外抗氧化潜力较弱可能与其化学成分有关，包括辅料的添加。
有必要进一步开展研究以加深对该领域的了解，特别是专注于体内实验，以制定未来的指导方针来提高植物药理制剂的质量和生物利用度。
