Caracterização farmacognóstica de compostos fenólicos como marcadores químicos nas vagens de jucá (Caesalpinia ferrea mart.)

Abstract

Juca (Caesalpinia ferrea Mart) is a tree that belongs to the family Leguminosae – Caesalpinioidae (Caesalpiniaceae) and grows throughout Brazil, widely distributed the north and nordwest regions, mainly in Pernambuco and Ceara. It has dark yellow pod, small, flat, curved with hard seeds and hardwood. Some therapeutic properties of the pods of juca have been described and include wound treatment and bruises, relief of chronic cough and asthma. Futhermore, some research shows that juca have ulcerogenic and anti-inflammatory action, and also analgesic properties. The pods have also been used in the treatment of diabetes and in cancer prevention. This plant is entered in National Formulary Phytotherapic, indicated as healing in gel form. The objective of this work was develop chromatographic techniques using corn starch for the purification of phenolic compounds present in juca pods (Caesalpinia ferrea Mart.). The phytochemical approach was carried out according to pharmacognostic techniques whereby was detected the presence of saponins, steroids and the phenolics compounds flavonoids, pyrogallic tannins, besides free phenols. The ethyl acetate extract was prepared with the aid of Soxhlet apparatus. This one was submitted to purification on corn starch preparative chromatography using dichloromethane / methanol (9:1) as eluent. It were obtained five fractions encoded as F-1, F-2, F-3, F-4 and F-5 which were analysed by thin layer chromatography using dichloromethane / acetone (7:3) as eluent. The plates were revealed under ultraviolet light, iodine and ferric chloride, respectively. It is observed, among others, a spot with fluorescence in the fraction F-2. The fraction F-1, F-2 and F-3 showed blue spots with ferric chloride, indicating that they are constituted by phenolic compounds. Between these fractions, the fraction F-3 showed a higher level of purity. The use of corn starch preparative chromatography as adsorbent for purification of the ethyl acetate extract proves to be efficient. The work continues in search of the structural identification of these phenolic compounds.