Determination of metals in medicinal plants and soil from Amazon area by neutron activation analysis and ICP-MS

NASCIMIENTO JÄHNKE, SAMARA; SOLDATI, ANALIA L.; VICENTE VILAS, VÍCTOR; BAUMAN, WOLFRAM

Río de Janeiro, Brasil

Conferencia; Nuclear Analytical Methods in Life Sciences (NAMLS08); 2005

Brazil offers many medicinal plants but little is known so far about their heavy metal content and the speciation there-of, which will greatly influence their pharmaceutical effect. Few significant studies have been performed on complexation or binding in general of metal ions in plants. Our detailed study is focused on six of the most commonly used plants from the Amazon region, Brazil: Sacaca (Croton cajucara BENTH), Acafroä {Curcuma longa LINNE), Canela {Cinnamomum zeylanicum BLUME), Boldo {Peumus boldus MOLINA), Cipo-alho (Mansoa hirsuta MART), Miratä (Ptychopeta/um o/acoides BENTH). The present study is focused on the speciation of selected metal ions that form complexes in the above mentioned plants. As a first step, the content of various metals has been screened by Neutron Activation Analysis. This method is highly sensitive for a lot of elements and is non­destructive. It also does not need difficult sample preparation. Manganese, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium and Zinc were found in most of the plant samples, Cobalt was found in Sacaca, Boldo and Acafroa and Lanthanum in Miratä, only. With the ICP-MS investigation was found many elements, Mg, Na, K, La, Fe, Cr, Zn. Other methods will be employed like various types of chromatography, such as on-line HPLC mass spectrometry or ion chromatography. The soil also was analysed by INAA and it was investigated the relationship between the elements found in the soil and in the plants