Contribuição ao estudo fitoquímico de espécies do Horto de Plantas Medicinais Professor Francisco José de Abreu Matos

Abstract

The Medicinal Plants Garden Professor Francisco José de Abreu Matos from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) is considered one of the only germplasm banks of medicinal plants in Brazil. Plant species can be considered true phytochemical information banks, presenting several substances with potential applications, including in the development of drugs. However, the phytochemical composition of the same species can be altered by edaphoclimatic conditions that vary between different locations. The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition of the leaves of medicinal and aromatic plants in the UFC Medicinal Plants Garden during the dry season (July to December). 35 samples were selected by simple random sampling method, using the draw technique. In a total of 30 specimens, phytochemical prospecting techniques were performed by qualitative tests to identify fixed leaf chemical components, while 5 plants were subjected to extraction of essential oil followed by phytochemical analysis by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer in order to identify and quantify the volatile leaves chemical components. All species submitted to phytochemical prospecting demonstrated the presence of fixed secondary metabolites of phenolic, terpenic and/or alkaloidic nature. The essential oils analyzed showed major molecules with important potential for pharmaceutical application. The results obtained showed that the species listed in the Professor Francisco José de Abreu Matos Medicinal Plants Garden are promising candidates for pharmacological bioprospecting, however studies are needed to fractionate and isolate the fixed secondary metabolites, allowing the structural identification of the molecules with probable biological activity.