Natural Resources Containing Arbutin. Determination of Arbutin in the Leaves of Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch. acclimated in Romania

Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch. is cited in literature as being one of the richest in arbutin (15-20%), an important pharmaceutical substance with disinfecting properties (in genitourinary diseases) and also depigmentation properties (skin whitening agent). The aim of this study consisted in determination of arbutin content in leaves of Bergenia crassifolia acclimated in Romania. The optimum parameters for the extraction of arbutin and the dynamics of the accumulation of arbutin in Bergenia crassifolia leaves during the four seasons were also studied. The content of arbutin varied between 17.44% and 22.59% dry weight, values which are similar to those found in literatur

Phenolic Compounds and Antifungal Activity of Hedera helix L. (Ivy) Flowers and Fruits

Identification and quantitative analysis of the phenolic compounds from Hedera helix L. (ivy) flower and fruit ethanol extracts by LC/MS, in vitro germination and growth inhibition effects on Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. tulipae, Penicillium gladioli and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were performed. In the non-hydrolyzed samples of flower and fruit extracts were determined, in different amounts, five polyphenols (p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, rutoside, quercetol and kaempferol) while quercitrin was identified only in the ivy flower extract. The hydrolyzed samples of the same ivy extracts indicated four phenolic compounds (p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, quercetol and kaempferol), in different concentrations, whereas sinapic acid was only detected in the ivy fruit extract. The antifungal activity of the fresh flower extract was stronger than that of the fresh fruit extract and was compared to that of an antimycotic drug

Determination of Spironolactone and Canrenone in Human Plasma by High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry Detection

A new simple, sensitive and LC-MS/MS method for quantification of spironolactone and its metabolite, canrenone, in human plasma is proposed. The analytes were analysed on a C18 column at 48 ºC, by using a mobile phase of 58 % methanol, 42 % 10 mmol dm−3 ammonim acetate in water and a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The detection of both analytes in plasma was performed as follows: ESI+, EIC (m/z 169;187;283;305) from m/z 341, after protein precipitation with methanol. Calibration curves were generated over the ranges 2.77–184.50 ng/mL for spironolactone and 2.69–179.20 ng/mL for canrenone by using a weighted (1/y) linear regression. The absolute values of within- and between-run precision and accuracy for both analytes ranged between 3.1 and 13.9 %, and the mean recovery was 99.7 %. The analytes demonstrated good stability in various conditions. The validated method has been applied to a bioequivalence study of 50 mg spironolactone tablets on healthy volunteers. (doi: 10.5562/cca1761

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Hedera helix leaf ethanolic extract

The 50% ethanol extract obtained from Hedera helix leaves was investigated regarding the presence and quantity of polyphenols, sterols and in vitro antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The chemical analysis revealed the presence of rutin, quercetin and kaempferol in the non-hydrolysed sample and quercetin and kaempferol in the hydrolysed sample and stigmasterol in the ivy leaf extract (nonhydrolysed sample). The antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi (Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, B. tulipae, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tulipae, Penicillium gladioli, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) was assessed using an agar dilution assay. The results are expressed as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC = 10–14%) and were compared to a synthetic antifungal drug – fluconazole (MIC = 8–30%). This report presents the first screening of the antifungal activity of the ivy leaf extract on these plant pathogenic fungi species, aiming to use the ivy leaf extract for controlling different diseases of vegetables and ornamental plants, in addition to human disorders

Dynamic of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and yield of rhubarb under chemical, organic and biological fertilization

In recent years, rhubarb is being increasingly cultivated, as it provides early yields when the vegetables supply to market is deficient and shows high levels of both polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity in edible parts. In 2017, we investigated crops of the rhubarb cultivar Victoria to the fifth year of production. Comparisons were performed between three root phase fertilizations—chemical (NPK 16-16-16®), organic (Orgevit®), and biological (Micoseeds MB®)—plus an unfertilized control. The determinations of polyphenols, the antioxidant capacity, and the yield indicators from the stalks (petioles) of rhubarb were made at each out of the 10 harvests carried out. The highest yield (59.16 t·ha−1) was recorded under the chemical fertilization. The total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity varied widely from 533.86 mg GAE·g−1 d.w. and 136.86 mmol Trolox·g−1 d.w., respectively in the unfertilized control at the last harvest, up to 3966.56 mg GAE·g−1 d.w. and 1953.97 mmol Trolox·g−1 d.w. respectively under the organic fertilization at the four harvest. From the results of our investigation, it can be inferred that the chemical fertilization was the most effective in terms of yield, whereas the sustainable nutritional management based on organic fertilizer supply led to higher antioxidant compounds and activity

Formulation, preparation and in vitro - in vivo evaluation of compression-coated tablets for the colonic-specific release of ketoprofen

The aim of this study was to formulate and prepare compression-coated tablets for colonic release (CR-tablets), and to evaluate the bioavailability of ketoprofen following the administration of a single dose from mini-tablets with immediate release (IR-tablets) compared to CR-tablets. CR-tablets were prepared based on time-controlled hydroxypropylmethylcellulose K100M inner compression-coating and pH-sensitive Eudragit® L 30D-55 outer film-coating. The clinical bioavailability study consisted of two periods, in which two formulations were administered to 6 volunteers, according to a randomized cross-over design. The apparent cumulative absorption amount of ketoprofen was estimated by plasma profile deconvolution. CR-tablets were able to delay ketoprofen’s release. Compared to IR-tablets used as reference, for the CR-tablets the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was lower (4920.33±1626.71 ng/mL vs. 9549.50±2156.12 ng/mL for IR-tablets) and the time needed to reach Cmax (tmax) was 5.33±1.63 h for CR-tablets vs. 1.33±0.88 h for IR-tablets. In vitro-in vivo comparison of the apparent cumulative absorption amount of ketoprofen showed similar values for the two formulations. Therefore, the obtained pharmacokinetic parameters and the in vitro-in vivo comparison demonstrated the reliability of the developed pharmaceutical system and the fact that it is able to avoid the release of ketoprofen in the first part of the digestive tract

Evolution of phenolic profile of white wines treated with enzymes

The aim of this study is to monitor the evolution of the principal phenolic compounds throughout the fermentation stage of white wines treated with different enzymes. The effect of five commercial enzymes on the evolution of the phenolic profile during the alcoholic fermentation of white wines obtained from Fetească regală and Sauvignon blanc varieties was evaluated. Physicochemical properties of resulted wine samples have been analyzed according to OIV standards and regulations. The evolution of the principal phenolic compounds was carried out using HPLC method. Enzymatic treatments did not significantly affect the physicochemical composition of the obtained wines. The analyzed samples showed different variations on the phenolic compound content, depending on the type of added enzyme and grape variety. The statistical analysis confirms that enzymes significantly contributed to the enrichment of the wines with phenolic compounds, especially with pcoumaric, gentisic, caftaric, and protocatechuic acids