Obtenção de produtos de interesse farmacêutico a partir do Agave sisalana perrine ex engelm.: uma proposta de revitalização da cultura sisaleira na Paraíba

Abstract

Agave sisalana is a specie widely grown in northeastern Brazil for production of sisal fiber, Bahia and Paraíba being the world's largest producers. The process of decortication of the leaves of A. sisalana implies loss of more than 95% of the plant in the form of solid waste (bagasse) and liquid waste (juice). In addition, parts of plant such as boles are not used. An economic decline in sisal crop from Brazil is also reported by government agencies, which have driven the need to add new values to this species. This study aimed to obtain and characterize different products of pharmaceutical interest from the boles and leaves (wastes from decortication) from A. sisalana. The boles and wastes (bagasse and juice) were subjected to processing steps for obtaining the extracts and herbal drugs, which were characterized according to pharmacopoeial parameters and metabolites of interest therein were screened (Chapter 2). After analyzing the results obtained by initial characterization, the aqueous extracts from boles were used for obtaining the polysaccharide inulin which was isolated after steps of precipitation by physicochemical methods and purified by ion exchange chromatography. Analyses by different instrumental techniques were used to characterize the product (Chapter 3). Preliminary in vitro screenings for prebiotic activity was carried out in the aqueous extracts and polysaccharides dried by spray drying. Both samples were characterized by thermogravimetry and metabolites of interest were quantified (Chapter 4). Pectic polysaccharides were extracted from the wastes and subjected to various steps of purification involving deproteinzation and ion exchange chromatography. Instrumental techniques were used for structural characterization of these samples (Chapter 5). The inulin obtained from boles showed characteristics similar to those available commercially obtained from other species. The in vitro screening indicated that the dried extract of A. sisalana exhibis prebiotic potential and could probably be an economically viable alternative because the isolation of inulin requires steps that demands time and high costs and result in low yields. The characterization of polysaccharides extracted from wastes indicated typical structures of pectin. Thus, this study reports new opportunities to add value to A. sisalana by recovering products of pharmaceutical interest.