RESUMO:Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) B. Verlt. é uma Bignoniaceae amplamente utilizada na medicina popular como anti-inflamatório e adstringente, e para várias doenças como cólicas intestinais, diarréias, anemias e enfermidades da pele. Devido as suas propriedades biológicas e a produção de corante a espécie passou a ser utilizada pela indústria cosmética. A utilização de produtos naturais de origem vegetal implica no controle de qualidade farmacobotânico e em ensaios de pureza que compõem as especificações técnicas da espécie. Para isso foi realizada a descrição anatômica das folhas jovens e maduras de A. chica a partir de observações realizadas ao microscópio óptico, a partir de cortes histológicos. As folhas são hipoestomáticas e dorsiventrais com mesofilo heterogêneo. No pecíolo, a epiderme é uniestratificada contendo tricomas e dotada de cutícula delgada. Os testes farmacopéicos incluíram a determinação da distribuição granulométrica do pó da planta, determinação do teor de umidade e de cinzas totais, além da abordagem fitoquímica da tintura, visando estabelecer parâmetros para seu controle de qualidade.Unitermos: Arrabidaea chica, Bignoniaceae, plantas medicinais, farmacobotânica, controle de qualidade.ABSTRACT: "Pharmacognostic analysis of Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) B. Verlt. Leaves, Bignoniaceae". Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) B. Verlt. is a Bignoniaceae widely used in the popular medicine as anti-inflammatory and astringent agent, and for some illnesses as intestinal colic, diarrhoeas, anaemia and diseases of the skin. Its biological properties and dye biosynthesis lead the species to be used in the cosmetic industry. The use of natural products of vegetal origin implies in pharmacognostic quality control and purity assays that compose the technical specifications of the material. Therefore, the anatomical description of mature and young leaves of A. chica was carried through the use of optic microscopy on histological preparations. The leaves are hipostomatic and dorsiventral with heterogeneous mesophile. In petiole, the epidermis is unistratified, it contains trachoma and it is endowed with thin cuticle. The pharmacopoeia assays included the determination of the grain size distribution of the plant drug, the determination of humidity and the total ashes, beyond the phytochemistry approach of tincture, to establish parameters for its quality control.

E. Ferreira Ozela, P. César Stringheta, and M. Cano Chauca. 2007. Stability of anthocyanin in spinach vine (Basella rubra) fruits. Cien. Inv. Agr 34(2):115-120. The stability of anthocyanin in the extract of spinach vine fruit (Basella rubra L.) was studied in relation to degradative factors such as light, temperature and pH acting alone or in combination. In this work, the possible use of spinach vine fruit as a source of natural pigments for use in food coloring was evaluated. Extraction of the pigment was carried out with 99.9% methanol at pH 2.0. The stability of the anthocyanin extract was estimated. From these values, reaction velocity constants (k) as well as the half-life time (t 1/2) were calculated at pH 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 in the presence and absence of light both at 40 and 60ºC. Results indicate that, independent of pH values, spinach vine extract suffered an interference of light in its anthocyanin degradation kinetics with the mean t 1/2 being greater in samples place in darkness (654.5 ± 66.6 h) compared to exposed to light (280 ± 60.62 h). In the presence of light, degradation of the anthocyanin pigment increased with increased temperature and had an average half life time of 280 ± 60.62 h, 6.88 ± 0.76 h and 2.42 ± 0.31 h at room temperature (25 ± 1ºC), 40 and 60ºC, respectively. Spinach vine extract was more stable at pH 5.0 and 6.0 than at pH 4.0 both in the presence and absence of light. This characteristic differs from other anthocyanins. This property could facilitate its application as a natural food colorant.

No abstract

E. Ferreira Ozela, P. César Stringheta, and M. Cano Chauca. 2007. Stability of anthocyanin in spinach vine (Basella rubra) fruits. Cien. Inv. Agr 34(2):115-120. The stability of anthocyanin in the extract of spinach vine fruit (Basella rubra L.) was studied in relation to degradative factors such as light, temperature and pH acting alone or in combination. In this work, the possible use of spinach vine fruit as a source of natural pigments for use in food coloring was evaluated. Extraction of the pigment was carried out with 99.9% methanol at pH 2.0. The stability of the anthocyanin extract was estimated. From these values, reaction velocity constants (k) as well as the half-life time (t 1/2) were calculated at pH 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 in the presence and absence of light both at 40 and 60ºC. Results indicate that, independent of pH values, spinach vine extract suffered an interference of light in its anthocyanin degradation kinetics with the mean t 1/2 being greater in samples place in darkness (654.5 ± 66.6 h) compared to exposed to light (280 ± 60.62 h). In the presence of light, degradation of the anthocyanin pigment increased with increased temperature and had an average half life time of 280 ± 60.62 h, 6.88 ± 0.76 h and 2.42 ± 0.31 h at room temperature (25 ± 1ºC), 40 and 60ºC, respectively. Spinach vine extract was more stable at pH 5.0 and 6.0 than at pH 4.0 both in the presence and absence of light. This characteristic differs from other anthocyanins. This property could facilitate its application as a natural food colorant.