Morphological Phylogenetic Analysis of Two Early-Diverging Genera of Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae)

A sensitive 1 H NMR spectroscopic method for the quantification of capsaicin and capsaicinoid: morpho-chemical characterisation of chili land races from northeast India

INTRODUCTION

Proton (¹ H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy based analytical method for the quantification of capsaicin (major pungent principle of chili) has certain advantages including short data acquisition time and better structural authentication. Earlier NMR methods are associated with either of the bottlenecks such as low or lack of information on the sensitivity and scope for the quantification of total capsaicinoid.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a sensitive ¹ H quantitative NMR (qNMR) technique for capsaicin and total capsaicinoid in dry chili and chili oleoresin and to demonstrate its applicability in a real sample set.

METHOD

A ¹ H qNMR method was developed using benzene as the internal standard for the quantification of capsaicin (terminal methyl signal) as well as total capsaicinoid (benzyl methylene signal) in dry chili and oleoresin and validated in terms of specificity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision.

RESULTS

The developed ¹ H qNMR method was specific, sensitive (limit of detection 4.4 μg/mL and limit of quantitation 14.8 μg/mL), linear in the range 0.083-8.33 mg/mL of capsaicin, accurate and precise. The credibility of the developed method was showcased in the morpho-chemical characterisation of commercially available 15 chili land races from northeast India. The analysis identified the land races with a wide range of capsaicin (trace to 1.49% in the dry fruit and trace to 6.21% in the oleoresin w/w) and oleoresin content (3.35-26.78% w/w).

CONCLUSION

The standardized ¹ H qNMR method facilitated the findings of chemical basis for the selection of chili land races from this region, capable of producing high-yielding oleoresin with intended degree of pungency.

Ethnopharmacology of Fruit Plants: A Literature Review on the Toxicological, Phytochemical, Cultural Aspects, and a Mechanistic Approach to the Pharmacological Effects of Four Widely Used Species

Fruit plants have been widely used by the population as a source of food, income and in the treatment of various diseases due to their nutritional and pharmacological properties. The aim of this study was to review information from the most current research about the phytochemical composition, biological and toxicological properties of four fruit species widely used by the world population in order to support the safe medicinal use of these species and encourage further studies on their therapeutic properties. The reviewed species are: Talisia esculenta, Brosimum gaudichaudii, Genipa americana, and Bromelia antiacantha. The review presents the botanical description of these species, their geographical distribution, forms of use in popular medicine, phytochemical studies and molecules isolated from different plant organs. The description of the pharmacological mechanism of action of secondary metabolites isolated from these species was detailed and toxicity studies related to them were reviewed. The present study demonstrates the significant concentration of phenolic compounds in these species and their anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, photosensitizing properties, among others. Such species provide important molecules with pharmacological activity that serve as raw materials for the development of new drugs, making further studies necessary to elucidate mechanisms of action not yet understood and prove the safety for use in humans.

Flora das cangas da Serra dos Carajás, Pará, Brasil: Bromeliaceae

Resumo Este estudo tem por objetivo apresentar as espécies de Bromeliaceae que ocorrem na vegetação de canga da Serra dos Carajás, no estado do Pará, Brasil. Na área foram encontrados seis gêneros e 13 espécies de Bromeliaceae. Aechmea é o gênero com maior diversidade específica, com cinco espécies, seguido de Bromelia, Pitcairnia e Tillandsia, com duas espécies cada. Nenhuma das espécies de Bromeliaceae registradas na região encontram-se sob qualquer categoria de ameaça.