Prospecção de antraquinonas em erva-mate

Abstract

Yerba mate is a plant widely consumed in Brazil, especially in the southern region, used in the preparation of mate, tererê and mate tea. Its chemical composition is complex and its compounds have several beneficial effects, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and stimulating action. However, they may have anthraquinones, which have mutagenic activities that cause damage to health. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the presence of anthraquinones in the methanolic extract of yerba mate, obtained by Soxhlet extraction, followed by partitioning with dichloromethane. The obtained fractions were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MSE). Although anthraquinones were not identified in the yerba mate extract analyzed, it was possible to suggest the presence of compounds of other classes, such as phenolic acids and saponins. It was also found that some of the compounds that were present in the methanol extract were not present in the dichloromethane partition.