DESENVOLVIMENTO E VALIDAÇÃO DE UM MÉTODO POR CROMATOGRAFIA LÍQUIDA PARA A AVALIAÇÃO QUALITATIVA, QUANTITATIVA E QUIMIOMÉTRICA DE EXTRATOS DE Ilex paraguariensis

Abstract

The use of natural products with therapeutic or nutraceutical purposes is growing in the brazilian society, due the easily access to this. However, the indiscriminate use or use of wrongly identified species represent a risk of the user. Thus, phytochemical and pharmacological studies, and the development of analytical methods to the quality control of these products are important actions to ensure the reliability of them. Thus, it is necessary a consistent quality evaluation of vegetal raw materials, that endorse its identity and quality. The erva-mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil. - Aquifoliaceae) is a south brazilian native specie, heavily consumed as stimulant drink. This plant have presented a great economic value as raw material, due the growing interest of the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, mainly arising the stimulant, antioxidant and lipolytic potential. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a fast and efficient method to the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of medicinal plants and its extracts. The development of analytical methods to quality control of these materials is a necessary action for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. To the industries, the Quality by Design approach – that proposes the creation of a design of experiments (DOE) that evaluate simultaneously many relevant factors to the separation efficiency – is an alternative to the classic optimization of HPLC methods, because allows the efficient evaluation of more variables in a short time. In this sense, the aim of this work was realize a factorial study (QbD-DOE) of the main variables that may affect the optimization of a chromatographic method to vegetal extracts, and proposes the development of an analytical method. Were analyzed many relevant factors to the resolution of the chromatographic bands. In a first step, were evaluated the stationary phase, pH range, organic modifier type and the gradient time. In a second stage, was evaluated de pH value, final % of organic modifier, temperature and flow rate. The developed method was used to the evaluation of chemical characteristics of seven commercial samples of erva-mate obtained in the market of Ponta Grossa. The fingerprint was employed in a chemometric study, that allowed classify the samples according the chemical profiles, arising of plantation place, processment and extractor solvent. Yet, the obtained chromatographic run enabled the quantitative analysis of three chemical markers (chlorogenic acid, caffeine and theobromine). The contents of the markers founded by the validated method in the evaluated samples were different between aqueous (A) and hydroethanolic (H) extracts, due the differences on extraction potential of these solvents/procedures. The biggest content of caffeine were founded in the sample 5 (92.7 mg/100 g of dry leaves (A) and 349.19 mg/100g (H)). The same sample presented the least content of theobromine, in hydroethanolic extract (45.88 mg/100g), probably because the both xanthines are sourced of the same biosynthetic route. The chlorogenic acid were founded in highest proportion in the sample 2 (388.15 mg/100g (H) and 110.42 mg/100g (H)). The findings of this study reinforce the use of liquid chromatography as an analytical method, that associated to statistical tools may increase the strategies of erva-mate quality control, as vegetal raw material.