SUSTAINABLE EXTRACTION AND ISOLATION OF ALKALOIDS FROM THE LEAVES OF HIPPEASTRUM ARGENTINUM (PAX) HUNZ.

JAVIER E. ORTIZ; ALEJANDRO A. TAPIA; GABRIELA E. FERESIN

MENDOZA

Congreso; XXXVI CONGRESO DE LA SOCIEDAD DE BIOLOGIA DE CUYO; 2018

SOCIEDAD BIOLOGIA DE CUYO

The Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have shown a broad range of pharmacological and biological activities, including acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, and antitumoral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antimalarial activities. The extensive structural diversity of this group of alkaloids promotes the research for the development of new drugs. Until now, only galanthamine is being for the palliative treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is a long-acting, selective, reversible and competitive inhibitor of AChE and an allosteric modulator of the neuronal nicotinic receptor for acetylcholine. The extracts obtained from Amaryllidaceae bulb usually show complex alkaloid profiles. To isolate these alkaloids bulbs are used, this implying the loss of the plant. Sometimes is requiring more biomass, but due to ecological and conservation aspects cannot be performed. The alkaloid 7-OH-clivonine is a cholinesterase inhibitor previously identified in the leaves of Hippeastrum argentinum. The aim was in a sustainable way to isolate the 7-OH-clivonine using the leaves of H. argentinum, to deepen the studies of bioactivity. The fresh and totally developed leaves were collected (between November 2017 and March 2018), and then dried and crushed. Then, the alkaloid extract was prepared. The extract yield related to the dried plant material was >1% w/w, showing a higher yield than that of the bulbs. Chromatographic methods (LC, Sephadex LH20, PTLC) and crystallization were applied to isolate the alkaloid 7-OH-clivonine. The studies based on H. argentinum leaves represent an ecological, sustainable and effective alternative for Amaryllidaceae alkaloids research.