Medical Plant Extract Purification from Cadmium(II) Using Modified Thermoplastic Starch and Ion Exchangers.

Agnieszka Gładysz-Płaska,Yi-Gong Chen,Anna Wołowicz,Monika Wawrzkiewicz,Su-Hong Chen,Qian Wang,Dorota Kołodyńska,Weronika Sofińska-Chmiel,Gui-Yuan Lv

doi:10.3390/ma14164734

Abstract

Pure compounds extracted and purified from medical plants are crucial for preparation of the herbal products applied in many countries as drugs for the treatment of diseases all over the world. Such products should be free from toxic heavy metals; therefore, their elimination or removal in all steps of production is very important. Hence, the purpose of this paper was purification of an extract obtained from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo and cadmium removal using thermoplastic starch (S1), modified TPS with poly (butylene succinate); 25% of TPS + 75% PBS (S2); 50% of TPS + 50% PLA (S3); and 50% of TPS + 50% PLA with 5% of hemp fibers (S4), as well as ion exchangers of different types, e.g., Lewatit SP112, Purolite S940, Amberlite IRC747, Amberlite IRC748, Amberlite IRC718, Lewatit TP207, Lewatit TP208, and Purolite S930. This extract is used in cancer treatment in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis with differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, gel permeation chromatography, surface analysis, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and point of zero charge analysis were used for sorbent and adsorption process characterization, as well as for explanation of the Cd(II) sorption mechanism.

Highlights

Medicinal plants, being a part of conventional medicine, have been used in therapy throughout the world for a long time
Starch is one of the most promising polymers obtained from renewable sources, and which can be successfully used in the biodegradable plastic industry
The glass transition temperature (503 K) and the melting point (493–513 K) of native starch are higher than the degradation temperature

Summary

Introduction

Medicinal plants, being a part of conventional medicine, have been used in therapy throughout the world for a long time. The methods generally called natural medicine, based on herbal extracts, are not favored [3,4,5,6] These are proven and non-contradictory to conventional medicine. They are a ‘green’ alternative to most pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of diseases all over the world, and the source of a wide variety of natural antioxidants. Their medicinal value is usually due to the presence of very important phytochemicals, such as alkaloids and tannins, as well as flavonoids and phenolic compounds.

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