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PRELIMINARY RESEARCH ON PORTULACA GRANDIFLORA HOOK. SPECIES (PORTULACACEAE) FOR THERAPEUTIC USE

ADRIANA IULIANA ANGHEL¹, OCTAVIAN TUDOREL OLARU^1*, FLORENTINA GATEA², MIHAELA DINU¹, ROBERT VIOREL ANCUCEANU¹, VIORICA ISTUDOR³

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Portulaca grandiflora Hook. has been used in eastern traditional medicine for alleviating sore throat, for skin rashes and for detoxification. No research has been published correlating these actions with the active substances of the plant. For this reason, we decided to study the chemical composition of the species grown in Romania, in order to determine its therapeutic potential. The species was identified by comparing its morphological characteristics with those described in the literature. The chemical composition was assesed through specific chemical reactions and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The total phenols, polyphenol-carboxylic and flavonoid compounds have been determined quantitatively through spectrophotometric methods (Folin–Ciocalteu, nitric acid and sodium molibdate, and chelation with AlCl3, respectively). There were identified: sterols, carotenoids – in the etheric extract (Pe); phenolic acids – in the ethanolic extract (Pa); polysaccharides, reducing agents in the aqueous one (Paq). The presence of the sterols, of caffeic and chlorogenic acids, of quercetol and its heterosides and of kaempferol, was confirmed by TLC. In alcohol flavonoids had the highest extraction yield (0.2519g%), while in water this was the case for the phenoliccarboxylic acids and total polyphenols (0.1874, and 0.6110g%, respectively; all percentage are calculated on dry basis).