Plant extracts as biopharmaceutical products and analysis of their activity against arsenicosis

SOTOMAYOR, VERÓNICA; ROLDÁN, CECILIA S.; QUERALT, IGNASI; BONGIOVANNI, GUILLERMINA A.

Capital Federal

Congreso; 5th International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment (As2014); 2014

Arsenic has been classified by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as a human carcinogen being inorganic arsenic (As) the natural contaminating element present mostly in water sources because of its high solubility. Almost 10% of Argentinian population is exposed to As with high association to cancer. In the present work we aimed to determine plant extracts able to counteract As oxidative stress effect, the main cellular response trigger by exposure. In that sense we analyzed Araucaria araucana used in popular medicine for inflammatory processes. We analyzed aqueous and organic whole seeds and leaves (and stems) extracts in order to determine antioxidant activities in an in vitro model. We also analyzed elemental composition by X-ray fluorescence by dispersive energy (EDXRF). The results suggest that seeds of A. araucana are a suitable source of antioxidants and oligoelements as magnesium, potassium and calcium, and is worth to be studied as a potential pharmaceutical drug.