The use of plants as sources of active and medicinal substances is one of the oldest systems of treatment and therapy known to man. Many compounds also widely used in therapy today derive from natural sources, and many of these are derived from plants. Plant-derived compounds that exhibit significant biological activity are often of the so-called secondary metabolites, substances that plants produce in order to relate to other organisms, pathogens and phytophages, and in response to environmental or biological stresses. Among the many types of compounds synthesised by plants, essential oils are believed to have an important protective role. In addition, they have the ability to attract specific pollinators and drive away insects harmful to flowers or integral constituents of the plant. Essential oils also play an important role in integrating the plant with its surroundings. These secondary metabolites are produced by aromatic plants in flowers, bulbs, barks or branches and stored in secretory cells, cavities, canals, glandular trichomes or epidermal cells. They are a variable mixture consisting mainly of terpinoids, especially monoterpenes (C10) and sesquiterpenes (C15), but diterpenes (C20) may also be present. Not only the above-mentioned classes are present, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, acyclic esters and lactones may also be found. More rarely, one can find nitrogenous and sulphur compounds, coumarins and homologues of phenylpropanoids. Essential oils are liquid, volatile, clear and colour-soluble in organic and lipid solvents. They are generally extracted from a wide variety of plant drugs found in temperate soils and where they play an important role in traditional pharmacopoeia. Anti-oxidant activities as well as antiseptic activities are attributed to these aromatic plants, and they are therefore used as preservatives in edible products or in the pharmaceutical environment as sedatives, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic and local anaesthetics; in addition to their more common use as simple flavourings.
L’utilizzo delle piante come fonti di sostanze attive e medicinali, è uno dei più antichi sistemi di cura e terapia noto dall’uomo. Moltissimi composti anche oggi ampiamente utilizzati in terapia derivano da fonti naturali, e molti di questi derivano dalle piante. I composti di origine vegetale che presentano significative attività biologiche sono spesso appartenenti ai cosiddetti metaboliti secondari, sostanze che le piante producono per la loro vita di relazione con altri organismi, con patogeni e fitofagi, per rispondere a stress ambientali o biologici. Fra le molte tipologie di composti sintetizzati dalle piante, gli oli essenziali si ritiene abbiano un importante ruolo di protezione. Inoltre, hanno la capacità di attrarre specifici impollinatori e scacciare insetti dannosi per i fiori o costituenti integranti del vegetale. Gli oli essenziali hanno anche un ruolo importante per l’integrazione della pianta con ciò che la circonda. Questi metaboliti secondari, sono prodotti da piante aromatiche nei fiori, bulbi, cortecce o rami e immagazzinati nelle cellule secretorie, cavità, canali, tricomi ghiandolari o nelle cellule epidermiche. Sono una miscela variabile costituita principalmente da terpinoidi, specialmente monoterpeni (C10) e sesquiterpeni (C15) ma anche diterpeni (C20) potrebbero essere presenti. Non solamente le citate classi sono presenti, si possono trovare anche acidi, alcoli, aldeidi, idrocarburi alifatici, esteri aciclici e lattoni. Più raramente si possono trovare composti Azotati e Solforati, cumarine e omologhi dei fenilpropanoidi. Gli oli essenziali sono liquidi, volatili, limpidi e colorati solubili in solvente organico e lipidico. Generalmente vengono estratti da una grande varietà di droghe vegetali, presenti nei suoli temperati e laddove rappresentano un importante ruolo nella farmacopea tradizionale. Vengono attribuite a queste piante aromatiche attività anti-ossidanti cosi come attività antisettiche, utilizzate perciò come conservanti di prodotti edibili oppure in ambiente farmaceutico come sedativi, anti infiammatori, spasmolitiche e anestetici locali; oltre al utilizzo più comune di semplici aromi.
Estrazione e analisi di composti volatili da matrici naturali
MAZZUCATO, ALBERTO
2022/2023
Abstract
The use of plants as sources of active and medicinal substances is one of the oldest systems of treatment and therapy known to man. Many compounds also widely used in therapy today derive from natural sources, and many of these are derived from plants. Plant-derived compounds that exhibit significant biological activity are often of the so-called secondary metabolites, substances that plants produce in order to relate to other organisms, pathogens and phytophages, and in response to environmental or biological stresses. Among the many types of compounds synthesised by plants, essential oils are believed to have an important protective role. In addition, they have the ability to attract specific pollinators and drive away insects harmful to flowers or integral constituents of the plant. Essential oils also play an important role in integrating the plant with its surroundings. These secondary metabolites are produced by aromatic plants in flowers, bulbs, barks or branches and stored in secretory cells, cavities, canals, glandular trichomes or epidermal cells. They are a variable mixture consisting mainly of terpinoids, especially monoterpenes (C10) and sesquiterpenes (C15), but diterpenes (C20) may also be present. Not only the above-mentioned classes are present, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, acyclic esters and lactones may also be found. More rarely, one can find nitrogenous and sulphur compounds, coumarins and homologues of phenylpropanoids. Essential oils are liquid, volatile, clear and colour-soluble in organic and lipid solvents. They are generally extracted from a wide variety of plant drugs found in temperate soils and where they play an important role in traditional pharmacopoeia. Anti-oxidant activities as well as antiseptic activities are attributed to these aromatic plants, and they are therefore used as preservatives in edible products or in the pharmaceutical environment as sedatives, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic and local anaesthetics; in addition to their more common use as simple flavourings.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/47618