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49PHARMACEUTICS
FATTY ACIDS COMPOSITION STUDY OF CYPERUS ESCULENTUS L.
Slobodianiuk L.
PhD of Pharmacy, Assistant Professor of the Department of Pharmacognosy and Medical Botany, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ternopil, Ukraine
Budniak L.
PhD of Pharmacy, Assistant Professor of the Department of Pharmacy Management, Economics and Technology, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ternopil,
Ukraine Marchyshyn S.
Doctor of Pharmaceutical Science, professor, Head of Department of Pharmacognosy and Medical Botany, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ternopil, Ukraine
Ivasiuk I.
Assistant, Department of Pharmacy, Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ivano-Frankivsk,
Ukraine
Abstract
The Cyperus esculentus L. contains different biological active substances such as tannins, alkaloids, vitamins E and C, minerals, sterols, saponins and resins. There is a lack of information about fatty acids content of Cyperus esculentus L. herb and tubers Thus the aim of this research was to determine the content of fatty acids of Cyperus esculentus L. raw materials. The qualitative composition and quantitative content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in herb and tubers this plant were determined by using GC/MS. The results of analysis showed that the dominant fatty acids in Cyperus esculentus L. were linolenic, linoleic, 8-octadecenoic and palmitic acids. Therefore herb and tubers of Cyperus esculentus L. can be used in the preparation for new drugs on the basis of these raw materials in the future.
Keywords: Cyperus esculentus L., fatty acids, GC/MS.
Introduction
Cyperaceae is a family of monocotyledonous plants among which contain 5,500 species in the world including Cyperus esculentus L. [14, 19]. Cyperus es-culentus L. (tiger nut) is an underutilized plant of the family Cyperaceae, which cultivated in subtropical and tropical areas worldwide and is a cosmopolitan plant, widely in Asia, Africa, and some European countries. [6, 10, 11]. Cyperus esculentus L. is commonly known as earth almond, tiger nut, chufa, yellow nut sedge and zulu nuts. It is known in Nigeria as "Ayaya" in Hausa, "Ofio" in Yoruba and "Akiausa" in Lgbo where three varieties (black, brown and yellow) are cultivated [2, 18]. The yellow variety is favored among to all these three varieties plants because of its properties such as fleshier body, attractive colour, and bigger size [2, 8, 11, 14]. The nuts from chufa are valued for their greatly starch content, carbohydrate, dietary fibre [4, 17]. The Cyperus esculentus L. is also highly rich in oil, minerals and vitamins C and E [4, 13]. The tubers contain about 25 % oil, which are resistant to peroxidation, 50 % digestible carbohydrates, 4 % protein and 9 % crude fiber [2]. Chukuma et al. was spended screening of phy-tochemical research showed a content of saponins, resins, sterols, tannins and alkaloids in the tiger nut [7].
Tiger nut was reported as healthy and it helps in preventing heart attacks, thrombosis and activates blood circulation. The Cyperus esculentus L. helps in preventing cancer, due to high content of soluble glucose. It was also found to assist in reducing the risk of colon cancer [2, 15]. Jing et al. approved that the leaves of Cyperus esculentus L. included flavonoids that had
different biological activities, such as promoting blood microcirculation, antibacterial function, and anticoagulant effect, antioxidative effects in vitro and in vivo [12]. Literature values revealed that tiger nut is also known to have diuretic, carminative, tonic, aphrodisiac, and stimulant effects and some healing uses such as treatment of indigestion, and flatulence [1, 14].
Considering the lack amounts of information of research about component composition of the fatty acids is actual their determination in Cyperus esculentus L. Research into lesser known plants is of very great importance as they can replace some of the beneficial expensive oil.
Experimental
The objects of our study were Cyperus esculentus L. herb and tubers. They were collected at the experimental sites of the New Cultures Department of M. M. Hryshko National Botanic Garden of the NAS of Ukraine in Kyiv. The aerial part was harvested during a mass flowering period and tubers were collected in autumn after the death of aerial parts in 2018. The raw material was authenticated by Prof. Dzhamal Rakhmetov. A voucher specimen was deposited in the herbarium at the Department of Pharmacognosy and Medical Botany, TNMU, Ternopil, Ukraine.
The qualitative composition study and quantitative fatty acids content determination in Cyperus escu-lentus L. herb and tubers were conducted on gas chromatograph Agilent 6890N with mass detector 5973 inert (Agilent Technologies, USA).
Samples were analyzed on a silica capillary column HP-5MS (apolar) length - 30 m, internal diameter - 0.25 mm, the diameter of sorbent grain 0.25 ^m. The interface and were operated at 250 and 380 °C respectively. The initially set up oven temperature at 60 °C for 4 min, then at the rate of 4 °C/min raised to 250 °C and kept at this point for 6 min and maintained at a final temperature for 7 min. Helium was used as the carrier gas at a constant flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The sample with a volume of 1 ^l was injected in a splitless mode using 7683 series Agilent Technologies injector. Detection was performed in scan mode in the range (38-400 m/z).
0.5 g (accurately mass) of the raw material was re-fluxed with a 3.3 ml mixture containing (methanol: toluene: sulfuric acid (44:20:2 v/v)) and 1.7 ml of internal standard solution (undecanoic acid in heptane solu-
ter bath at 80 °C for 2 h. The resulting mixture was allowed to cool and centrifuged for 10 min at 5000 rpm. Then 0.5 ml of the upper heptane phase with containing methyl esters of fatty acids was selected.
The compositions of the product obtained were identified by comparison of their mass-spectrums with data obtained from National Institute Standard and Technology (NIST, 2008) database. The quantitative content of fatty acids was done using internal standard of undecanoic acid in heptane solution added to the sample [3, 5, 16].
Results and Discussion
In total, ten fatty acids were determined in the Cyperus esculentus L. herb, including lauric, myristic, palmitic, linoleic, linolenic, stearic, arachidic, behenic, lignoceric, cerotic acids by means of the GC/MS
tion). The sample was maintained in the ultrasonic wa- method (Fig. 1, Table 1).
Time—> 2.00 4JM 6.0'J 8 00 10.00 12.00 14.00 1600 18.00 20.00 22.00 24.00 26.00 28.00 30.00 32.00 34.00 36.00
Fig. 1 GC/MS chromatogram of fatty acids in the Cyperus esculentus L. herb.
In Cyperus esculentus L. tubers, linoleic, 8-Octadecenoic, oleic, stearic, palmitic were identified (Fig. 2, Table 1).
Fig. 2 GC/MS chromatogram of fatty acids in the Cyperus esculentus L. tubers.
Table 1
The^ results of the determination of fatty acids in the Cyperus esculentus L.
Quantitative content of methyl esters of fatty acids
No. Retention Common name of fatty acid in the Cyperus esculentus L.
time (IUPAC) herb tubers
mg/g % of the total mg/g % of the total
1. 3.22 Undecylic (undecanoic) internal standard
2. 4.51 Lauric(dodecanoic)* 0.24 1.89 — —
3. 8.30 Myristic (tetradecanoic)* 0.34 2.67 — —
4. 12.83 Palmitic (hexadecanoic)* 3.68 28.93 49.90 19.02
5. 16.63 Linoleic (octadecadienic, ra-6) 2.36 18.55 30.54 11.64
6. 16.77 a-linolenic (octadecatrienic, <a-3) 4.12 32.39 — —
7. 16.81 8-octadecenoic — — 161.59 61.59
8. 16.91 Oleic (octadecenoic) — — 3.64 1.38
9. 17.36 Stearic (octadecanoic)* 0.78 6.13 16.70 6.37
10. 21.61 Arachidic (eicosanoic)* 0.44 3.46 — —
11. 25.57 Behenic (docosanoic)* 0.30 2.36 — —
12. 29.26 Lignoceric(tetracosanoic)* 0.32 2.52 — —
13. 31.95 Cerotic (hexacosanoic)* 0.14 1.10 — —
The amount of saturated fatty acids 6.24 49.06 66.6 25.39
The amount of unsaturated fatty acids 6.48 50.94 195.77 74.61
Total 12.72 100 262.37 100
Note: * - saturated fatty acids; --not found.
In the Cyperus esculentus L. herb, the quantitative content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids is almost the same, it was 6.24 mg/g (49.06% from total content acids) and 6.48 mg/g (50.94% from total content acids), respectively. Tubers of Cyperus esculentus L. contain 2.9 times more unsaturated fatty acids, it was content is 195.77 mg/g (74.61% of the total acid content). Saturated fatty acids play an important role in the hormone synthesis, transfer and absorption of trace elements and vitamins, construction of cell membranes. Also these fatty acids are a source of energy for the human body. Unsaturated fatty acids involve in the body's vital functions.
The results of the study showed that the major components of Cyperus esculentus L. herb were lino-lenic acid (4.12 mg/g; 32.39%), palmitic acid (3.68 mg/g; 28.93%), and linoleic acid (2.36 mg/g; 18.55%). The dominant fatty acids in the tubers of Cyperus escu-lentus L. were 8-octadecenoic, palmitic, and linoleic acids, the content of which was 61.59% (161.59 mg/g), 19.02% (49.90 mg/g) and 11.64% (30.54 mg/g) from total content acids, respectively.
Cyperus esculentus L. herb and tubers are a source of essential fatty acid omega-6 (linoleic acid) that must be supplied in the nutrition because the body needs them. This acid is the starting point for the synthesis of some unsaturated fatty acids [9]. Linoleic acid is transformed in the body into y-linolenic and turns into prostaglandin E1, which rise immunity. Prostaglandins regulate brain function, reduce the probability of vascular and cardiac diseases, suppress inflammatory processes, normalize the nervous system, regulate metabolism and insulin levels. Also, the Cyperus esculentus L. herb contains linolenic acid (omega-3), which normalizes blood cholesterol and blood pressure [5, 16].
Conclusion
As a result of Cyperus esculentus L. research, the presence of fatty acids is established in its raw material. The qualitative composition and quantitative content of fatty acids were studied by GC/MS method. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were determined in Cyperus esculentus L. herb and tubers. The dominant fatty acids in Cyperus esculentus L. were linolenic, linoleic, 8-oc-tadecenoic and palmitic acids. The result shows that herb and tubers of Cyperus esculentus L. are the sources of fatty acids, so they are can be used in the preparation for new drugs on the basis of these raw materials in the future.
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