PECULIAR PROPERTIES OF THE PLANT TAXONOMY AT THE HERBARIUMMUSEUM DEPARTMENT PHARMACEUTICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES FIRST MOSCOW STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER SECHENOV

Objective: Department of Pharmaceutical and Natural Sciences of Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University offers students herbarium which should be attributed to special herbaria, namely the collection contains medicinal plants that are well known as official medicine and are widely used in folk medicine. The herbarium provides samples of medicinal plants for the formation of knowledge, practical skills of students of the pharmaceutical faculty. More than 7000 copies of herbarium sheets are offered for the work of students. Methods: Herbarium samples were identified and selected according to the engage thematic plan: Medicinal plants containing essential oils, cardiac glycosides, saponins, polysaccharides, phenolic glycosides, coumarins, lignans, flavonoids, tannins, anthracene derivatives, vitamins, fatty oils, and different groups of biologically active substances. In addition, the department made a small collection of the rare herbarium, which presents medicinal plants widely used in homeopathy, which is used for conducting elective discipline. The wide research of different branches of the medicinal plan was made with the help of pharmacognosy department. The study was carried out with an objective to estimate the need for each herbarium by topic Results: The herbarium fund was formed by the staff of the pharmacognosy department for many years on the basis of the approved pharmacognosy program. The collection is used for research by students – to perform diploma, qualifying works, and teachers to prepare teaching aids, and pharmacopeia articles develop and conduct research. The number of herbarium specimens is stored in the main fund – more than 5000. 240 species of medicinal plants belonging to 104 families are represented

QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF PHENOL CARBOXYLIC ACIDS IN POMEGRANATE FRUIT PULP BY THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH ULTRAVIOLET DETECTION

Objective: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a broadly used plant possessing a wide range of medicinal properties. In this research, we have mainly focused on the investigation of phenolic compounds of pomegranate fruit pulp (PFP).Methods: Fresh fruits of Çəhrayı Gülöyşə,†Kizil-anor,†and pomegranate varietal mixture were used as samples. High-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) analysis of phenol carboxylic acids was performed with metal column Kromasil® C18 (4.6×250 mm, particle size 5 μm) and the acetonitrile-water-concentrated acid phosphoric system (400:600:5) under isocratic elution conditions (flow rate of 0.5 ml/min). Detection was carried out using a UV detector GILSTON†UV/Visible model 151 at a wavelength of 280 nm.Results and Discussion: As a result of our research, we proposed chromatographic conditions for the separation of phenolic compounds, the conditions for sample preparation of PFP. Procedure for determination of phenolic carboxylic acids total content in terms of gallic acid by HPLC-UV method was developed. According to the obtained data, the content of phenolic carboxylic acids should be at least 0.7%.Conclusion: Procedure for the quantitative determination of gallic acid using the HPLC-UV method was developed. This method which can be used in the standardization of new medicinal plant raw materials - PFP, as well as extract preparations based on it in the future

Prospects for intranasal drug delivery systems with Ginkgo biloba in the treatment of cerebral circulatory disorders

Purpose: To analyze the range of currently available nasal medicines, and to study extant information on the use of Ginkgo biloba herbal complexes for the treatment of cerebral circulatory disorders of different etiologies. The study dwelt on the features and prospects of intranasal drug administration. Currently, intranasal administration is used primarily for the treatment of local symptoms. However, it has a much higher potential: the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity offers an opportunity for noninvasive treatment using systemic administration. Methods: The study involved the analysis of materials from information-retrieval systems, library databases, patent databases, and scientific information repositories such as e-Library. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, as well as materials from the websites of manufacturers of herbal medicinal products and other herbal substances. Results: Herbal medicinal products have great potential in terms of intranasal administration. This is especially true of herbal medicines obtained through extraction of leaves of Ginkgo biloba, which have a broad spectrum of action, i.e., anti-aggregatory, venotonic, nootropic, anti-hypoxic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, membrane-stabilizing, and capillary-protective effects. The range of Ginkgo biloba-based medicines calls for expansion, and this testifies to a good potential of these products in terms of further research and use. The analysis of literature and technical information showed the existence of a wide range of nasal medicines currently in use. However, only few drugs are used for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. Furthermore, there are no herbal medicines among these drugs, despite obvious advantages of herbal products such as ease of use, high bioavailability, and systemic action potential. Conclusion: The current status of research on nasal dosage forms of Ginkgo biloba herbal complexes warrants further development involving biopharmaceutical and pharmacological studies

The chemical composition of the three-part beggarticks (Bidens tripartita L.)

In the present article, we have studied the main groups of biologically active substances of the bur-marigold (Bidens tripartita L.) herb using the UPLC method with photodiode array and MS/MS detection. Eighteen compounds have been identified, including the glycosides of luteolin, okaniin, and sulfuretin, polyacetylenes, and hydroxycinnamic acids. The quantitative content of flavonoids (0.7-1.2%) and polysaccharides (4.1-7.5%) was computed by spectrophotometry and gravimetry

Study of the Elemental Composition of Pectoral Species No. 2 and Its Components

INTRODUCTION. The influence of anthropogenic factors on the content of toxic elements in plants increases the need for monitoring the content of toxic elements in medicinal plant raw materials and the corresponding herbal medicinal products. In addition, studying the elemental composition of herbal medicinal products will help determine their potential in the treatment of elemental metabolism disorders (macroand micro-elementoses).AIM. This study aimed to determine the elemental composition and the heavy metal content in Pectoral Species No. 2 and its components.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study used Pectoral Species No. 2 and its components, including common coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara L.) leaf, greater plantain (Plantago major L.) leaf, and liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L., G. uralensis Fisch.) root. The samples were manufactured by Krasnogorskleksredstva JSC and purchased at Moscow pharmacies. To determine the elemental composition, the study samples were digested with concentrated nitric acid and analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The calibration involved using concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 times the maximum permissible concentration for each element.RESULTS. This study identified and quantified 26 elements in Pectoral Species No. 2 and its components. The content of heavy metals was within the permissible concentrations. The study established the predominant macronutrients (potassium, calcium, and magnesium), micronutrients (iron, aluminium, and strontium), and ultramicronutrients (barium, nickel, and chromium) in Pectoral Species No. 2. The authors evaluated the contributions of each herbal drug to the total element content in the medicinal product.CONCLUSIONS. Coltsfoot leaf exerts the greatest influence on the content of macro-, micro-, and ultramicronutrients in Pectoral Species No. 2. Greater plantain leaf contributes the most to the zinc, silver, and nickel content. Liquorice root has the highest strontium and molybdenum content

Paisia, an Early Cretaceous eudicot angiosperm flower with pantoporate pollen from Portugal

A new fossil angiosperm, Paisia pantoporata, is described from the Early Cretaceous Catefica mesofossil flora, Portugal, based on coalified floral buds, flowers and isolated floral structures. The flowers are actinomorphic and structurally bisexual with a single whorl of five fleshy tepals, a single whorl of five stamens and a single whorl of five carpels. Tepals, stamens and carpels are opposite, arranged on the same radii and tepals are involute at the base clasping the stamens. Stamens have a massive filament that grades without a joint into the anther. The anthers are dithecate and tetrasporangiate with extensive connective tissue between the tiny pollen sacs. Pollen grains are pantoporate and spiny. The carpels are free, apparently plicate, with many ovules borne in two rows along the ventral margins. Paisia pantoporata is the oldest known flower with pantoporate pollen. Similar pantoporate pollen was also recognised in the associated dispersed palynoflora. Paisia is interpreted as a possibly insect pollinated, herbaceous plant with low pollen production and low dispersal potential of the pollen. The systematic position of Paisia is uncertain and Paisia pantoporata most likely belongs to an extinct lineage. Pantoporate pollen occurs scattered among all major groups of angiosperms and a close match to the fossils has not been identified. The pentamerous floral organisation together with structure of stamen, pollen and carpel suggests a phylogenetic position close to the early diverging eudicot lineages, probably in the Ranunculales.Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute (European Union FP6 projects) [20130185, 20141047]; Swedish Research Council [2014-5228]; Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) [UID/MAR/00350/2013]; CretaCarbo project [PTDC/CTE-GIX/113983/2009

A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Middle Jurassic of Sardinia (Italy) based on integrated palaeobotanical, palynological and lithofacies data assessment

During the Jurassic, Sardinia was close to continental Europe. Emerged lands started from a single island forming in time a progressively sinking archipelago. This complex palaeogeographic situation gave origin to a diverse landscape with a variety of habitats. Collection- and literature-based palaeobotanical, palynological and lithofacies studies were carried out on the Genna Selole Formation for palaeoenvironmental interpretations. They evidence a generally warm and humid climate, affected occasionally by drier periods. Several distinct ecosystems can be discerned in this climate, including alluvial fans with braided streams (Laconi-Gadoni lithofacies), paralic swamps and coasts (Nurri-Escalaplano lithofacies), and lagoons and shallow marine environments (Ussassai-Perdasdefogu lithofacies). The non-marine environments were covered by extensive lowland and a reduced coastal and tidally influenced environment. Both the river and the upland/hinterland environments are of limited impact for the reconstruction. The difference between the composition of the palynological and palaeobotanical associations evidence the discrepancies obtained using only one of those proxies. The macroremains reflect the local palaeoenvironments better, although subjected to a transport bias (e.g. missing upland elements and delicate organs), whereas the palynomorphs permit to reconstruct the regional palaeoclimate. Considering that the flora of Sardinia is the southernmost of all Middle Jurassic European floras, this multidisciplinary study increases our understanding of the terrestrial environments during that period of time

The Albian-Cenomanian flora of the Kukpowruk River, western North Slope, Alaska: Stratigraphy, palaeofloristics, and plant communities

Cretaceous plant fossils were collected in the context of sedimentary facies at 34 localities along the Kukpowruk River, north-western Alaska. The river transects three mapped units: the predominantly marine Torok Formation, the transitional Kukpowruk Formation and the predominantly non-marine Corwin Formation. Fifty-seven taxa, mostly leaves but including several reproductive structures, were recognised and compared to similar aged fossil plants from north-eastern Russia and Alaska. Although divisible into upper and lower regional floral suites, most of the flora represents a single stage in floral evolution (we refer to these two plant suites together as the Kukpowruk flora). There are strong similarities to the very rich (more than 150 species) early–middle Albian flora of the Buor-kemuss floral type in north-eastern Russia. However, because several taxa are quite long-ranging those plants from the upper delta plain environments of the Corwin Formation are likely to be late Albian in age. A second, smaller, component of the flora (which we here refer to as the Corwin flora) contains angiosperms and is similar both to the Grebenka floral type of north-eastern Russia and the Upper Killik and Niakogon floras from the central and eastern North Slope of Alaska. From consistent associations between specific taxa and sedimentary facies distinct plant communities have been recognised: a marginal marine and early successional marsh/heath community dominated by Equisetites andBirisia ferns, shrubby to forested river margin communities dominated by Ginkgo, and mire forest communities dominated by Pityophyllum and Podozamites

SNOWDROP SPECIES (<i>GALANTHUS </i>L.): HISTORY OF MEDICAL USE, TOPICAL STANDARDIZATION ISSUES OF HOMEOPATHIC CRUDE HERBAL DRUGS AND MEDICINES BASED ON IT

Today studies related with development of particular pharmacopoeia monograph for the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation are especially relevant. Particular pharmacopoeia monographs regulate the requirements for homeopathic crude herbal drugs and homoeopathic mother tinctures. In the article the history of snowdrops use in classical medicine and homeopathy is presented. Modern standardization problems of homeopathic crude herbal drugs and homoeopathic mother tinctures produced from Voronov’s snowdrop (Galanthus woronowii Losinsk.) and common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis L.) are considered

Scientific basis of the development and standardization of herbal medicines

The present paper conceptually considers scientific approaches to standardization of starting materials of herbal origin and herbal medicinal products. It was proved that chemical classification of the starting materials of herbal origin is of fundamental importance for Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical science in general. It was shown that the chemical nature of biologically active compounds has to be considered as a methodological basis when developing new approaches to standardization of starting materials of herbal origin and herbal medicinal products. The article also discusses the dependence of physical, physical and chemical, spectral, and pharmacological properties on the chemical nature of biologically active compounds, used as identity and quality criteria for raw materials and phytopreparations. The paper describes current trends in Pharmacognosy, as reflected in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation XIII edition