PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Hojas.

ACCION FARMACOLOGICA= Pharmacological action: Diurética, sudorífica, aperitiva.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Compounds Cyanogenic glycosides: trigloquinine, dhurrin (presumable only traces).

ZONA GEOGRAFICA= Geografical zone: Uruguay. 

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs
 
1) Two exts. (Et acetate and ethanol) and isocytisoside obtained from Aquilegia vulgaris were tested for their antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity in vitro.  Inhibition both non-enzymic (IC50: 150-219 mg/mL) and enzymic (IC50: 23-60 mg/mL) microsomal lipid peroxidn. was obsd., the exts. being more active than isocytisoside.  The substances tested appeared to be weak hydroxyl radical scavengers, showed very low TEAC values and moderate iron chelation ability.  However, all prepns. at the concn. 25 mg/mL inhibited superoxide anion formation at the range 47-68%.  Despite of the lack of a potent free radical scavenging ability the substances tested demonstrated significant antioxidant activity.  Relationship between this parameter and the content of phenolic groups was noticed.

2) The contents of phenolic acids in the leaf exts. of ten Aquilegia L. species (A. vulgaris L., A. alpina L., A. atrata Koch., A. canadensis L., A. caerulea James, A. flabellata Sieb. et Zucc., A. hybrida Scott-Elliot, A. olympica Boiss., A. pyreneica D.C., A. vitoleili L.) were detd. by the spectroscopic methods and expressed as caffeic acid equiv.  The obtained results ranged from 0.31% to 1.13%.  The qual. anal. was performed by 1D- and 2D-TLC chromatog. against the stds.  In all studied samples the following acids were found: p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, protocatechuic, p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic, and chlorogenic.  Moreover, in some exts. sinapic, gallic, alpha- and gamma-resorcylic acids were detected.

3) The ext. of the plant Aquilegia vulgaris is used in folk medicine as an antiepileptic and soporific medicament.  Our previous results demonstrated that the ext. contains compds. selectively acting on the –gamma aminobutyric acidA (GABAA)-receptor system in vitro.  The present work aimed to identify and characterize these compds.  High performance liq. chromatog. with subsequent gas chromatog. coupled with mass spectrometry have identified two main active compds. of this ext.: (1) myo-inositol and (2) an oleamide sleep-inducing lipid.  The effects of oleamide on GABAA receptors are well documented, whereas the influence of myo-inositol on neuroreceptors has not been previously described.  We have also obsd. that myo-inositol inhibits 3H-muscimol (a specific ligand of the GABA binding site at the GABAA receptor) binding and stimulates 3H-MK801 (a specific ligand of activated NMDA-type glutamate receptors) binding.  These results, combined with our previous findings on the effects of myo-inositol on epileptic convulsions, clearly indicate that oleamide, and myo-inositol are the main compds. detg. the antiepileptic and soporific attributes of Aquilegia vulgaris ext.

1) GONZALEZ, Matías ; LOMBARDO, Atilio ; VALLARINO, Aida. Plantas de la medicina vulgar del Uruguay. Montevideo : Talleres Gráficos, 1937. p. 12.

2) PDR for herbal medicines . 4th ed. Montvale: Thomson Healthcare Inc., 2007, p. 218.

3) MURIAS, Marek;, et al.  Antioxidant activity of isocytisoside and extracts of Aquilegia vulgaris.  Fitoterapia. 2005, Vol.76, nº5, p.476-480.

4) SZAUFER-HAJDRYCH, M.  Phenolic acids in leaves of species of the Aquilegia L. genus. Herba Polonica. 2004, Vol.50, nº2, p.50-54.
 
5) SOLOMONIA, R, et al. Purification and identification of components of the Aquilegia vulgaris extract fraction exhibiting anti-epileptic activity.  Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry. 2004, Vol.4, nº4, p.185-192.