Медицина \10. Народная и нетрадиционная медицина.

Т.N. Gontovaya

National Pharmaceutical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

CHEMICAL STUDY OF BORAGINCEAE FAMILY species

DISTRIBUTED IN UKRAINE

The Boraginaceae family belong to the Boraginales order and has more than 50 genera, some of which are represented by only one species. In the CIS there are about 350 representatives of Boraginaceae, and more than 100 species, which are grouped in 26 genera, can be found in Ukraine.

Some species of Boraginaceae are widely used in folk and scientific medicine as anti-inflammatory, wound healing, expectorant, sedative. For example, in Russia and Japan the roots of Echium and Lithospermum genera are used to produce drugs for skin diseases treatment, the main active ingredient of which is shikonin - the derived of naphthoquinones. In Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia and Ukraine roots of Symphytum officinale are used to produc drugs to treat the musculoskeletal system diseases, muscle sprains, fractures. Such effect is due to the accumulation of allantoin - the substance that has an astringent, anti-inflammatory effect and is used to heal wounds, soften the skin, and for callus formation in fractures. The aim of our study was a comparative chemical study of the Boraginaceae family representatives.

The objects of research were – herb, roots, rhizomes of 22 species of 16 genera, distributed in Ukraine: Aegonychon purpureo-caeruleum (L.) Holub, Anchusa officinalis L., Anchusa stylosa Bieb., Asperugo procumbens L., Borago officinalis L., Buglossoides arvensis (L.) Johnst., Cerinthe minor L., Cynoglossum officinale L., Echium vulgare L., Lappula squarrosa (Retz.) Dumotr., Lithospermum officinale L., Myosotis micrantha Pall. ex Lehm., Myosotis gardens L., Myosotis palustris (L.) L., Nonea pulla (L.) DC., Onosma rigida Ledeb., Pulmonaria obscura Dumort., Pulmonaria officinalіs L., Strophiostoma sparsiflora (Mikan) Turcz., Symphytum asperum Lepech., Symphytum officinale L., Symphytum tauricum Willd.

To determine the chemical composition of the herbal substances hydroalcoholic extracts were received and then sequentially fractionated in nonpolar and polar solvents.

The fractions received were studied using the methods of paper, thin layer and column adsorption chromatography as well as rechromatography with silica gel. For the identification of nitrogen-containing compounds, flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids and phenol carbonic acids a number of solvent systems were used: butanol – acetic acid – water (4:1:2), n-butanol – formic acid – water (4:1:5), ethyl acetate – acetic acid (8:2), butanol – pyridine – water (6:4:3), 15% acetic acid solution, methyl ethyl ketone – acetone – formic acid – water (40:2:1:6), chloroform – methanol (9:1). Different chemical agents were used as the reagents: 0.2% solution of ninhydrin, a Stahl reagent, ammonia gases, 10% alkali solution, 5% aluminum chloride solution, 1% ferum (III) chloride solution, diazotized sulfanilic acid, 0.04% alcoholic solution of bromophenol blue, 0.04% aqueous solution of sodium 2.6- dichlorindophenolindophenolate, aniline phthalate.

The quantitative content of hydroxycinnamic acids sum was determined by spectrophotometry using the instrument “Specord-200” in terms of chlorogenic acid. The content of the water-soluble polysaccharides sum was determined by gravimetry.

The identification of free monosaccharides in plant raw material of Boraginaceae showed that all the species contain glucose, 14 species - arabinose and 8 - fructose. Ascorbic and malic acid were found in all the species, citric acid in 23 (except Strophiostoma sparsiflora). Amino acid composition of the studied species is represented by at least 13 free amino acids, 10 of which were identified (aspartic and glutamic acid, arginine, tyrosine, proline, valine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, lysine). Allantoin, the nitrogen-containing substabce was found in herb and roots of Cynoglossum officinale, plants of the Symphytum genus, as well as in Borago officinalis herb.

Among the phenolic substances the Boraginaceae species studied contain phenolcarboxylic and hydroxycinnamic acids, as well as some substances of flavonoid nature. Gallic acid was found in the Symphytum and Rulmonaria genera, as well as in species of Cynoglossum officinale, Borago officinalis, Echium vulgare, Onosma rigida. In the raw material of the 19 species studied the presence of caffeic, chlorogenic, neohlorogenic, rosemarinic, syringic, cinnamic and ferulic acids was determined. Flavonoids were identified in only 12 types of raw material. Thus, the Buglossoides arvensis herb and both species of the genus Anchusa contain rutin, Lithospermum officinale, Echium vulgare, Cynoglossum officinale, Buglossoides arvensis and Aegonychon purpureo-caeruleum contain quercetin, the herb and roots of the genus Rulmonaria and Myosotis - kaempferol and rutin, and the herb of Borago officinalis - hyperoside.

The analysis of hydroxycinnamic acids quantitative content showed that the maximum number of this group substances is found in the herb of Pulmonaria obscura and Pulmonaria officinalіs - 3.27% and 2.29% respectively, in the herb and roots of Symphytum officinale - 2,14% and Symphytum asperum - 2 66%. The content of hydroxycinnamic acids vary from 1.1 to 1.7% in the herbs of 17 species, and in the roots of Symphytum asperum, Echium vulgare, Asperugo procumbens and Cerinthe minor – is no more than 0.99%.

For the first time gallic and syringic acids, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin were extracted from Symphytum officinale and Symphytum asperum taken individually; delphinidin-3-O- glucoside, gallic, ellagic, neoсhlorogenic, syringic, rosemarinic acids, quercetin, (+) -catechin, (-)-epicatechin, from Pulmonaria obscura; delphinidin-3-O- glucoside, gallic, ellagic, neoсhlorogenic, syringic, rosemarinic acids, quercetin, (+) -catechin, (-)-epicatechin, from Echium vulgare; gallic, caffeic, neochlorogenic, rosemarinic, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin, hyperoside, rutin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin from Borago officinalis.

The studies examined the qualitative and quantitative composition of 22 species of the Boraginaceae family. These data allow to determine the most promising species of the Boraginaceae family for the creation of new medicine of plant origin.