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Planta Med 2004; 70(10): 993-1000
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-832627
Original Paper
Analytical Methods
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Morphological, Chemical and Functional Analysis of Catuaba Preparations

Christa Kletter1 , Sabine Glasl1 , Armin Presser2 , Ingrid Werner1 , Gottfried Reznicek1 , Samdan Narantuya1 , Selim Cellek3 , Ernst Haslinger2 , Johann Jurenitsch1
  • 1Institute of Pharmacognosy, University of Vienna, PharmaCenterVienna, Vienna, Austria
  • 2Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Karl Franzens University, Graz, Austria
  • 3Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
Further Information

Publication History

Received: May 5, 2004

Accepted: July 6, 2004

Publication Date:
18 October 2004 (online)

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Abstract

Fourteen commercial samples of the popular Brazilian aphrodisiac Catuaba specified as bark drugs of Anemopaegma, Erythroxylum and Trichilia species were examined for identity and purity. Only a minority of the examined Catuaba samples contained the crude drugs claimed on the labels. More than half of the products were adulterated with different crude drugs. The majority of the samples contained a bark originating from Trichilia catigua. The TLC fingerprints confirmed the heterogeneity, in 50 % of the samples tropane alkaloids of various concentrations were detected. TLC and HPLC methods for separation and identification of the tropane alkaloids were developed and their analytical data (RF values, retention times, ESI-MS) given. The structure elucidation of the two main alkaloids, catuabine D and its hydroxymethyl derivative, is presented. The 1H- and 13C-NMR assignments of these alkaloids are discussed with regard to literature data. Neither aqueous nor methanolic extracts of the Trichilia catigua reference material nor alkaloid-enriched fractions of commercial samples showed any effect on the rabbit corpus cavernosum in an in vitro test.

Key words

Anemopaegma - Erythroxylum - Trichilia - aphrodisiac - microscopy - tropane alkaloids

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Ass. Prof. Dr. Ch. Kletter

Institute of Pharmacognosy

PharmaCenterVienna

University of Vienna

Althanstraße 14

1090 Vienna

Austria

Fax: +43-1-4277-9552

Email: Christa.Kletter@univie.ac.at