Phenolic Profile of Croton urucurana Baill. Leaves, Stems and Bark: Pairwise Influence of Drying Temperature and Extraction Solvent

Abstract

Cerrado biome represents an area with great biodiversity. Some of its plants have significant ethnopharmacological uses, with specific purposes. Croton urucurana Baill., for instance, was previously acknowledged for its anti-hemorrhagic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, healing, and potentially antifungal and entomopathogenic actions. Nevertheless, the compounds supporting these empirical applications are still unknown. Accordingly, this work was designed to achieve a complete characterization of the phenolic profile of different botanical tissues obtained from C. urucurana, and also to verify how different operational conditions (different drying temperatures and extraction conditions) affect that profile. All samples were further characterized by HPLC–DAD–ESI/MSn, and results were compared by advanced chemometric tools. In general, the drying temperatures that maximize the extraction yield of specific individual phenolic compounds were established. Likewise, it was possible to verify that samples extracted with the hydroethanolic solution allowed higher phenolic yields, either in individual compounds (except (epi)catechin-di-O-gallate) or total phenolics. The identification of the best operational conditions and phenolic profiles associated with each C. urucurana botanical part contributes to enabling their use in food or pharmaceutical-related applications.

Multiple Risk Factors for Heart Disease: A Challenge to the Ethnopharmacological Use of Croton urucurana Baill.

“…C. urucurana was previously investigated for the chemical composition of its leaves and stem bark. Different compounds were reported in this plant, including flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins), flavonols, O -glycosides, hydroxyflavones, C -glycosides [ 14 , 27 ], alkaloids, terpenes, and phenolic acids [ 10 ], which were obtained with different extraction solvents. In the present study, comparisons with authentic standards identified some main compounds in the extract of the leaves of C. urucurana , despite the lack of information to confirm the identification of some low-abundance peaks (e.g., 1, 2, 3, and 4).…”

“…Other compounds were tentatively identified based on UV spectra, supported by previous reports, but some compounds were not observed in the current extract. Alves et al [ 27 ] performed a more comprehensive phytochemical analysis of the leaves of C. urucurana . They identified different classes of flavonoids, such as condensed tannins (e.g., proanthocyanidins).…”

“…In the current extract, we identified peaks 5, 6, and 7 with UV spectra which were consistent with these compounds, with λ max at 277–279 nm. Condensed tannins have been reported in all investigated parts of C. urucurana [ 10 , 14 , 27 ].…”

“…In addition to condensed tannins, Alves et al [ 27 ] also described the presence of catechin. In the present study, comparisons with the catechin standard did not reveal catechin, but peak 9 was eluted close to catechin and had a similar UV spectrum, with λ max at 279 nm.…”

“…Flavonol- O -glycosides were also reported in the leaves of C. urucurana [ 27 ]. These compounds have characteristic UV spectra, with an absorbance λ max range of 350–365 nm from band B and 255–265 nm from band A [ 29 ].…”