Quality specifications of identity and composition for the medicinal plant Heliopsis longipes

The Mexican plant Heliopsis longipes (Asteraceae), has been used since ancient times as flavoring in cooking, and as analgesic-local anesthetic drug to treat tooth ache in traditional medicine [1]. Chewing of a little piece of the stem from this plant produces intense salivation and an immediate local analgesic effect [2]. The analgesic activity of affinin [1], an alkamide present as the major metabolite in the roots of the plant has been recently probed by means of GABA release in mouse brain slices [2]. The aim of the present work is to establish quality control standards of identity, purity and composition, with the results of different tests, as the chromatographic identification and quantification of affinin [1] as the reference compound in extracts, so as with purity determinations recommended by the WHO for the quality control of vegetal raw materials. Parameters of a developed and validated chromatographic method by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography and the quantification of affinin in fresh and dried roots of Heliopsis longipes are included and will be used together with the efficacy test results [2] to prepare a pharmacopoeia monograph under the WHO lineaments.

1

Acknowledgements: 1. Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico de la UNAM IN211807 2. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, M. Rios.

References: 1. Correa, J. et al. (1971) Org. Magn. Res. 3:1–5.

2. Rios, M. Y. et al. (2007)J. Ethnopharmacol. 110:364–367.