Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Molecules. 2023 Feb 6;28(4):1573. doi: 10.3390/molecules28041573.
Levodopa (L-DOPA) is an essential drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Currently, L-DOPA can be produced by chemical synthesis and can also be found naturally in many herbs, especially (MP). According to clinical research, the MP extract containing L-DOPA for the treatment of Parkinson's disease could reduce side effects more than the synthetic one. Unfortunately, MP extracts can be easily degraded. Changes in physical and chemical properties such as the appearance (color, melt, solid lump) and the reduction of L-DOPA content in the extract were commonly observed. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an extraction procedure to stabilize the extract of L-DOPA. This study attempted to enhance the extraction process by modifying the traditional acidification approach using hydrochloric acid, citric acid, or ascorbic acid. According to the stability test results, using water (PEW) as a solvent improved the preservative properties more than other solvents. The color of the PEW-MP powder changed slightly after 12 months of accelerated storage, but the amount of L-DOPA remained the highest (73.55%). Moreover, L-DOPA was only detected in MP and PEW-MP, but not PEW alone (the HPTLC chromatogram at Rf 0.48 and the HPLC chromatogram at Rt 6.0 min). The chemical profiles of PEW and L-DOPA observed in the chromatograms indicated that they are independently separated. As a result, they can be applied to a quality control process. Therefore, PEW was proven to be a powerful solvent for L-DOPA herbal extract that could be readily used as a raw material for herbal products.
左旋多巴（L-DOPA）是治疗帕金森病的重要药物。目前，L-DOPA 可以通过化学合成生产，也可以在许多草药中自然发现，尤其是（MP）。根据临床研究，含有 L-DOPA 的 MP 提取物治疗帕金森病的副作用比合成的 L-DOPA 更小。不幸的是，MP 提取物很容易降解。外观（颜色、熔融、固体块状物）和提取物中 L-DOPA 含量的变化等物理化学性质的变化是常见的。因此，有必要开发一种提取程序来稳定 L-DOPA 的提取物。本研究试图通过修改传统的酸化方法来增强提取过程，使用盐酸、柠檬酸或抗坏血酸。根据稳定性测试结果，使用水（PEW）作为溶剂比其他溶剂更能提高保存性能。PEW-MP 粉末在加速储存 12 个月后颜色略有变化，但 L-DOPA 的含量仍然最高（73.55%）。此外，只有在 MP 和 PEW-MP 中检测到 L-DOPA，而在 PEW 中则没有（在 Rf 0.48 和 Rt 6.0 min 处的 HPTLC 色谱图和 HPLC 色谱图）。在色谱图中观察到的 PEW 和 L-DOPA 的化学图谱表明它们是独立分离的。因此，它们可以应用于质量控制过程。因此，PEW 被证明是一种强大的 L-DOPA 草药提取物溶剂，可作为草药产品的原料。
